White Plum Hidden in the Leaves
by Blue-Huntress
Summary: The daughter of two powerful shinobi, a young kunoichi tries to make a name for herself. OC-centric.
1. Prologue: Endings and Beginnings

-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-

**A/N**: Hello, Readers! Welcome to my very first Naruto fic. This story is something that I've had on my mind for a long time, and have finally decided to post it. ^-^ This story happens to be made from the inspiration of **Midnight's Eyes' **story, "**A Sannin's Child**," and **Baal of Yarns' **story "**Senju Naruto**," and is mostly OC-centric. Reviews and healthy criticism will be greatly appreciated, and flames will be used to roast marshmallows.

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I create.

Prologue:

Endings and Beginnings

A cool autumn breeze gently swayed the tops of the trees of the vast forest of the Land of Fire, and a clear starry sky looked down over the village of Konohagakure. Crushed, war-torn buildings and cratered streets sat in testimony of the destruction caused by the wrath of the Kyuubi; the nine-tailed demon fox. Nobody knew what had provoked the demon to attack Konoha, it had come completely on a whim, carving a path of destruction in its wake. But the battle was now over and the fox was sealed away forever, but as a result, the village had lost many valued shinobi. Not only that, Konoha had also lost its beloved leader, the Yondaime.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had been forced out of his short retirement to take up the mantle of Hokage once again, after the untimely death of his successor. The elderly shinobi stared out the window of his new-old office at the remains of his village.

It was all still so surreal to Hiruzen, to think that the Yondaime was dead was just so hard to grasp. Minato Namikaze was all village could ask for in a leader; powerful, kind-hearted, at the peek of his prime, and was loved by most if not all of the village. Not only that, but he had a beautiful wife in the form of a fiery redhead named Kushina Uzumaki, and only a few hours ago had become a father as well. But now the famed Yellow Flash was gone.

The Sandaime was brought out of his thinking by a soft sigh coming from an old bassinet sitting on the other side of the room. Hiruzen walked over to peer inside at its sleeping occupant.

He was greeted by the sight of a tiny pink infant wrapped in a simple white blanket. Tufts of soft sun-kissed blonde hair covered the infant's head and three whisker-like markings adorned each of his round cheeks. Had his eyes been open, they would have been the brightest shade of blue Hiruzen had ever seen. This was the son of the famed Yellow Flash and the fiery kunoichi of the extinct Whirlpool Country: Naruto Uzumaki.

Not only had the poor boy lost both his mother and father on the same night, but he was also now the container of the dreaded Kyuubi. Which Minato had given his life to seal the fox away inside his own newborn son. Jinchuriki was the term used for those who had had a demon sealed within them; a human sacrifice.

Minato's dieing wish was for little Naruto to be viewed as a hero of the village for being the demon's jailer, but that had not been the case. Once Hiruzen had announced the Yondaime's death and Naruto's status as a Jinchuriki, the citizens of the village immediately demanded for the infants death. They did not see Naruto, they only saw the Kyuubi in a weakened human form. Never had the Hokage been so ashamed of his village.

He had argued with the Council and the village Clan Heads for hours to get his point across. The Council tended to forget that _he_ was the Hokage and what he said goes, and that the Council did simply that: _council _the Hokage.

During the heated meeting with Council, Hiruzen made a degree that it would now be punishable by death for anyone to speak that Naruto was the host of a demon, and that he would _not_ be raised as a weapon, but as a normal child. Speaking of which… Hiruzen turned his attention the third occupant of the room, who was also currently asleep.

Next to Naruto's bassinet sat an old worn-out plush couch, where a very young girl was curled up asleep like a cat. Her short hair was the color of fresh snow and had her eyes been open, they would have been a lovely shade of honey-brown. This was Ume, the daughter of two of Hiruzen's beloved students: The Slug Princess, Tsunade Senju, and Jiraiya, the Toad Sage. Even though little Ume was no orphan, she was as alone as Naruto was at the time.

Ume's birth had been completely unexpected, and Hiruzen had no idea of her existence for quite some time. It wasn't until two months after Ume's birth that Hiruzen finally met her. Her mother, Tsunade, had un-expectably arrived in the village alone in the dead of night and gave the tiny baby directly to Hiruzen, before leaving again. Her only explanation for leaving Ume behind was that she wasn't strong enough to protect her. Hiruzen did not hear from Tsunade again after that.

Her father, Jiraiya, would drop by now and again to check up on little Ume, but he never stayed in the village for very long. He also never to the baby with him when he left. Also, both parents wished to keep Ume's heritage under wraps. Hiruzen agreed with them.

Minato and Kushina were two of the few people who knew of Ume's heritage, and it was they who raised Ume for the first two years of her life. But, with both of them now gone, Hiruzen had little choice but to place Ume along with Naruto in one of the village orphanages until somebody claimed them. Until that day came, both Naruto and Ume would be given Kushina's surname: Uzumaki.

All that the old Hokage could do now was watch over the young ones from afar and pray for the best.

**A/N**: please review ^-^

**Japanese/ Jutsu List**:

- **Konohagakure**: The Village Hidden in the Leaves

- **Yondaime**: The 4th Hokage

- **Sandaime**: The 3rd Hokage

- **Jinchuriki**: A demon host

- **Hokage**: the leader of Konoha

- **Shinobi**: ninja

- **Kunoichi**: female ninja

- **Kyuubi**: nine-tailed demon fox


	2. Ch 1: The Plum and the Fishcake

-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 1:

The Plum and the Fishcake

Eight years had past since the terrible night of the Kyuubi's attack, and Konoha was experiencing a time of peace. The village had been prospering over the last few years and was said to be the mightiest of all the great shinobi villages. All was peaceful…. For the moment.

Amongst the bustling streets of Konoha, two tiny figures stood out the most. A young boy and girl strolled down the street, both failing at being conspicuous to the groups of people roaming the streets. The bright spiky blonde hair of the boy and the pure snow white hair of the girl made the two stand out like beacons to the villagers' hateful glares. Naruto and Ume Uzumaki had finished up a day at Konoha's Ninja Academy and were now on their way back to their shared two-bedroom appartment.

When they were not in class at the academy, the Uzumaki siblings went everywhere together, and one was rarely seen without the other. When one was hurt or frightened, the other was there to comfort them. If one was being downtrodden by one of the villagers, the other was there to stand up for them. If anything else, the two were the only ones who _truly_ understood one another.

Konoha might have stayed quiet for the rest of the day, if it were not for actions of one villager that would cause a domino-effect of consequences.

As the Uzumaki duo continue their journey back home, a random villager deliberately crossed their path and "accidentally" shoved Naruto to the ground.

"Watch where you're walking, brat!" he spat, before continuing on his way.

Both siblings glared daggers at the man, as Ume helped Naruto to his feet. Nobody messed with the Uzumakis. _Nobody_. The two watched as the man approached another villager.

"Hey, Yaku! How's it going?" he greeted.

"Not bad, you?"

"Great. Hey, lets go try out that new dango shop that just opened up! I hear its really good."

"Sure, I' m on lunch break anyway."

Ume and Naruto looked at each other and both sported mischievous grins, both thinking the same thing: the man's fate was sealed.

Ume and Naruto had managed to beat the two men to the new dango shop one of them had mentioned and were currently hiding on its rooftop. Naruto held onto a large bucket of sweet syrup, while Ume clutched a sack of flour ( both items barrowed from the shop's storage area). Both waited in anticipation for their targets to arrive. They didn't have to wait long for said people to appear.

"Here they come!" whispered Ume.

"This is gonna be great!" Naruto whispered back, practically vibrating with excitement.

The two readied their items to be dumped onto the two clueless heads of the villagers from earlier. As the two men begin to enter the shop, Naruto and Ume dump their "present" off the roof from their hiding place. It seemed that the prank was going to go off without a hitch. But, it seems fate had a sense of humor.

The two pranksters watch in horror, as their intended targets jumped back to make room for someone exiting the shop. The sticky, floury mess rained down directly on the newcomers' head, causing a squawk of surprise and anger. Naruto and Ume cringed as a very messy and very pissed lavender-haired kunoichi turned her head skyward, and locked onto the two bright-haired children with furious brown eyes.

"You little bastards! I' m going to murder you!" the kunoichi shrieked.

Before she had even finished her sentence, Naruto and Ume bolted from the shop's roof and ran for their lives, the furious syrup and flour-covered woman on their heels (cursing them along the way).

It was a day like any other in the Hokage tower; Secretaries and curriers went about their business of filing and delivering messages. For Hiruzen Sarutobi, it was just another day of confronting the bane of every Hokage's existents: The never ending pile of paperwork.

But, as the current Hokage was about to sign and stamp another document, his ears caught the sounds of a loud commotion going on somewhere in the lower levels of the tower. As he continued to listen, Hiruzen realized that the noise was quickly becoming louder, until he could start to pinpoint individuals' voices.

Suddenly, two small blurs burst open the wooden door and came scrambling into his office, taking refuge under Hiruzen's desk. The two bright hair colors immediately labeled them as Naruto and Ume. But, before Hiruzen could ask any question of what in Kami's name was going on, a third intruder barreled into his office.

"Alright, I know you're in here! Come out and get what's coming to ya!"

The woman was none other than Anko Mitarashi. Said kunoichi was cover in what looked to be flour and some sort of sticky substance, and was now zeroing in on the Hokage's desk, or at least the two children hiding under it. Anko's eyes burned with an unholy fire and was out for blood. Hiruzen decided to step in before things got too out of hand.

"Calm down, Anko-san," Hiruzen tried to placate the purple-haired snake-mistress, "and tell me what Naruto-kun and Ume-chan have done for the three of you to cause such a scene in my office."

"Those little brats fricken ambushed me out of the blue!" Anko raged.

It was then that the two Uzumakis used whatever shred of courage they had left to poke their heads out from under the desk and speak out in protest.

"Nuh-Uh! We were trying to get those other two guys!" shouted Ume.

"Yeah! Crazy Lady just got in the way!" added Naruto.

A tick appeared on Anko's forehead, " Who are you calling "crazy", brat?"

"You, Crazy!" Naruto and Ume answered together.

Anko growled and her fingers curled into claws ready to strangle the two pranksters. But Hiruzen stepped between the two opposing forces.

"Enough! Anko, you _will _control yourself," Hiruzen turned his head towards the two bright-haired kids, "Ume, Naruto, apologize to Anko for what you did."

Both Ume and Naruto lowered their eyes and sported a rebellious pouts on the faces.

"Ume. Naruto." Hiruzen's voice held no room for argument.

"…Sorry," mumble the siblings.

Anko snorted, unsatisfied, "Don't think I' m not done with you, brats! I'll make you pay up when sooner or later. I don't care _how_ long it takes!" With that, she spun her heel and left, slamming the door behind her.

There was a short moment of silence before the Hokage turned his attention back to the two troublemakers. He spent the next fifteen minutes giving Ume and Naruto a (somewhat half-hearted) lecture on their antics, before sending them on their way. They left much more subdued then Anko had.

Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, massaging his forehead. 'I' m getting too old for this.'


	3. Ch 2: Graduation

-White Plume Hidden in the Leaves-

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 2:

Graduation

Ume was so excited! She had finally finished up her last two years at the academy, and today was the day of the graduation exam. The night before, Ume had set her alarm clock to wake her extra early, so that she and Naruto would for sure get to the academy on time. But, Ume didn't count on Naruto going into her room in the middle of the night and turning off the alarm clock. He claimed that it was too loud, but Ume knew he just didn't want to wake up any earlier than he had to.

So, without her alarm, Ume and Naruto had woken up with only fifteen minutes until the exam started. In a panic, the two siblings skipped breakfast and rushed through the rest of their morning ritual, but sprinting all the way to the academy. Luck was on Ume's side, as they made it right as the bell rang to begin class.

The exam was pretty straightforward. First (much to Ume's horror) was a thirty-minute written test, which Ume was only able to answer about half of the questions. If it was one school trait that Ume and Naruto shared, it was that they both sucked at written tests. Not that they were dumb, they just didn't like sitting still for long periods of time to study.

The second portion of the exam included hitting a target with kunai and demonstrating their taijutsu. Ume managed to hit the target with four out of five of the kunai she was given, and managed an average score with her taijustu. Now there was one last part to the exam: the surprise Jutsu test.

Ume waited in the classroom for her name to be called. Since her last name was Uzumaki, she was always last for things like this, which only caused her anticipation to grow higher. But, finally-

"Ume Uzumaki, you're up," the instructor, Sanko-sensei, called from inside the examination room.

Ume didn't have to be told twice, and tried not to run to room. Inside, Sanko-sensei and another instructor, sat at desk that displayed several shiny new hitai-ites. Ume stood in front of them, feeling a little queasy. Maybe it was a good thing that she didn't have breakfast.

"Alright Ume, all you have to do now is create three clones," said the instructor.

'O-kay Ume, you can do this.' Ume reassured herself. 'Just remember the seals.' She focused her chakra and lifted her hands to make the proper seals; Ram. Snake. Tiger.

"Bunshin no Justu!"

The moment Ume uttered the technique's name, there were three puffs of smoke, revealing three identical copies of Ume.

Sanko nodded in approval, "Well done, Ume, you pass. Take yourself a headband and you are free to go."

Ume whooped in delight, before grabbing and tying her new hitai-ite snuggly around her forehead.

"Remember to be here on time tomorrow morning to be assigned to your team," Sanko-sensei called to her as she headed out the door.

Ume waved to show that she understood.

Once outside, Ume immediately went searching for her ototo. After pushing her way through the crowds of graduates and parents, Ume found Naruto sitting on a swing away from the crowd. The moment he saw her coming in his direction, he jumped up and rushed over to her.

"Awesome, Nee-chan, awesome!" Naruto stood on his tiptoes to get a better look at the carved leaf symbol on the metal plate of Ume's headband, "You passed, you passed!"

Suddenly he stopped bouncing and crossed his arms, a pout puckered across his pace, "No fair, now you're going to be shinobi, and I'm stuck in stupid class!"

Ume laughed poked the green pair of goggles strapped to Naruto's head, the ones Ume had bought him for his last birthday (to help pacify him for not having his shinobi headband yet).

"No worries, Naru-chan. Only two more years, and you'll get your hitai-ite, too," Ume reassured him, "Then you can kiss all of those written tests good-bye! But first, lets go get something to eat, I' m starving!"

Naruto's trademark foxy grin spread over his face, "Alright! I want ramen!"

Naruto had gotten his wish and now he and Ume were enjoying Konoha's finest ramen cuisine at Ichiraku Ramen Bar. The Uzumaki siblings were by far the chef's, Teuchi's, best costumers, and were always treated well here. Most other restaurants wouldn't admit them or would chase them off. Ume was pretty sure that her and Naruto's pranks weren't _that_ bad.

"Slow down a little, Naru-chan," she said to the blonde ramen-glutton, "You're going to get a stomach ache if you keep shoveling it in like that."

Naruto complied and slowed his gorging down by a margin. But just a little bit. He finished off his fifth bowl with a content sigh. But his face showed that he had something bigger on his mind than ramen.

"Hey… Nee-chan?" his was voice was abnormally subdued as he pushed away his empty bowl. Something _had_ to be wrong.

"Huh? What's wrong Ototo?" Ume looked up from her finished ramen bowl.

He didn't say anything at first, just stared at the countertop, but when he did speak up, his voice had a twinge of sadness in it, "…Nee-chan.. Now that you're gonna be a shinobi now, we won't be able to see each other all the time anymore. You'll be doing cool missions, and won't want to hang out anymore…."

Ume looked at him in surprise, "_That's_ what's bothering you?"

Naruto fidgeted in his seat, still not looking at Ume.

"Oh, come on, Ototo, that's not true. We'll still see each other!"

Naruto didn't look convinced and still kept his eyes trained on the shop's shiny countertop.

Ume sighed, "How 'bout this: I promise that even though I've graduated, I'll still find time to hang out and help you study and train… I'll still even help you prank those mean jerks!"

He looked up at her hopefully, "Really?"

She grinned and held out her fist to him, "It's a promise!"

He shared her grin and bopped her fist with his, "Thanks, Ume-nee-chan! Hey, old man- Teuchi, another bowl of miso ramen!"

Ume sighed, of course nothing could keep Naruto's mind off of ramen for long.

The next morning Naruto and Ume made their way to the academy together and parted ways upon arrival; Naruto to his 4th-year class, and Ume to her graduated class to be assigned to her new sensei and Genin squad.

Ume didn't have to wait long for Sanko-sensei to arrive, and for the class to go dead quiet upon his arrival. Once he was sure that he had everyone's attention, he proceeded with his prepared graduation speech. He talked about how they would be going out into the real world, and how being a shinobi wasn't fun and games, etc. Finally, after finishing his speech, Sanko sensei began calling out the names for each three-man team.

Ume got farther and farther on the edge of her seat, until she was almost standing, every time her name failed to be called. Finally, Sanko-sensei came to the end of his list, with Ume still waiting for her name to be called. It wasn't.

"Well, that's everybody," said Sanko-sensei, he then looked up at Ume, "Ume Uzumaki, you will not be placed on a team."

"What?" Ume jumped out of her seat in outrage. Why couldn't she be on a team? She had passed the graduation test just like everybody else!

"Calm down, Uzumaki, let me finish," Sanko-sensei huffed, "You will not be placed on a three-man team because you have been put up for apprenticeship."

'Oh... Well, that's ok, I guess.' thought Ume, blushing a bit.

"You're new sensei will be-" Sanko-sensei never got to finish his sentence.

He was cut off when a figure crashed through one of the classroom windows, shattering glass everywhere. The purple-haired, trench coat- wearing intruder stood at the front of the room with a large black tarp that read "Ume Uzumaki's Awesome Sensei! Anko Mitarashi!" across it. Ume, along with the rest of the class gapped like fish.

"Sensei of Ume Uzumaki has arrived!" Anko announced in a loud voice for all to hear.

Ume was horrified and tried to melt into her seat and become invisible.

"Alright, now where is my new vict- I mean student?" Anko glanced around the room.

Ume tried to hide, but her snow-white made her stand out from all the others. Anko waltzed over and snagged Ume up by the back of her shirt and proceeded back out the open window.

"Let's go, Snowflake. Time to get to work!" She began leaping through the rooftops of Konoha, with a embarrassed, cursing Ume dangling from her fist.

**A/N**: Reviews are greatly appreciated! =^.^=

**Japanese/ Jutsu List**:

- **Bunshin no Jutsu**: Clone Technique

- **Taijutsu**: hand-to-hand combat

- **kunai**: a ninja throwing knife thing

- **hitai-ite**: forehead protector/ headband

- **ototo**: little brother

- **nee-chan**: big sister

- **Jutsu**: ninja technique

Trivia: Ume's name means 'plum' in Japanese (incase you haven't guessed by the title of the story ^/.\^


	4. Ch 3: Battle for the Headband

**-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-**

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 3:

Battle for the Headband

Ume didn't understand. Had she done something in a past life to bring this unholy punishment down upon her? Or maybe it was fate trying to be funny again. Whatever the case, Ume was now stuck with the psycho-lady, that she and Naruto had accidentally pranked two years earlier (she would never forget _that_ experience), for a sensei.

Anko had carried her all the way across the village to what looked to be some kind of training ground, before dumping her unceremoniously on the ground. Ume looked around and saw that they were in front of a huge chain link fence surrounding what looked like a forest on evil steroids.

Anko stood near a gate that lead inside the forest, "Off your ass, gaki! We've got things to do, get movin'!"

Ume scrambled to her feet and followed Anko through the gate that clearly had a sign hanging over it that said "Do Not Enter". The sound of the gate shutting and locking behind didn't help the twisty feeling in her gut.

"Welcome to my personal favorite training ground," announced Anko, "Training ground 44, or as I like to call it, 'The Forest of Death'."

'Oh, lovely,' thought Ume glumly.

Ume followed the newly-dubbed Psycho-sensei to a clearing not far into the dark macho trees. The moment they arrived, Anko whirled around to face her, a sadistic smile on her face. Ume swallowed in reflex.

"Alright Snowflake, lets get down to business," said Anko, placing her hands on her hips, "I'm not going to be like the other Jonin senseis and be your babysitter. Being a shinobi is serious shit, so I' m gonna work you into the ground, so that you go home every night ragged and bruised!"

Ume wasn't liking the sound of this.

"But, first things first," said Anko, "The book says that we should do introduce ourselves, so lets make it quick. I'm Anko Mitarashi. I like dango, bean soup, and 'interrogation', and hate a certain pale snake-bastard that I' m not going to talk about, and my hobbies include eating dango, scaring the shit out of people, and tea ceremonies. Alright Snowflake, your turn."

Ume scowled, it looked like she was going to make that stupid nickname stick, "I'm Ume Uzumaki. I like meat, sweet foods, and hanging out with my ototo, and don't like coffee or the jerks that are mean to me and ototo. I guess my hobbies are pulling pranks with ototo…" Ume trailed of when she thought she saw a tick appear on Anko's forehead.

"Now that that's out of the way, give me your hitai-ite," said Anko, holding out her hand.

"Huh?"

"Just do it!"

Ume quickly untied her forehead protector and handed it her. Anko took it and tied it loosely around her own neck.

"Alright Snowflake, now it's time for your Genin Test!" she announced cheerfully.

"What?! But I already took that in the academy," Ume protested.

"That test doesn't count worth shit," said Anko, crossing her arms, "That was just used to weed out all of the lost causes. This is the _real_ Genin Exams, which has about a 66 % failure rate. But, to tell the truth, _my_ particular test has an even _higher _failure rate."

Ume paled, "You've gotta be kidding me!" Was getting the stupid headband all for nothing in the first place?

"If you want to be a kunoichi so bad, prove it by taking back your headband from me," Anko pointed her thumb at Ume's headband dangling around her neck, "If you can't do that, then you are obviously a waste of my time."

'Kami, help me,' thought Ume.

"You've got until sundown to get it back," Anko informed her, "If not, I'll send you packing back to the academy. Start….. Now!"

* * *

"I' m going to die in here," Ume said to herself, as she continued her search for Psycho-sensei.

The moment after Anko said "start", the crazy lady had disappeared into the dense foliage. Ume had searched and searched for her for hours, but there was no sign of the purple-haired kunoichi. The only thing that Ume could find was ridiculously over-sized flora and a spider that was as big as Ume's head (safe to say that that encounter had Ume running in the opposite direction). How the heck was she supposed get her headband back if she couldn't even find Psycho-sensei?

As if to answer her question, a kunai lodged itself into the bark of a tree, directly above where Ume's head was. She immediately whirled around in the direction that the kunai had come from, and spotted Anko standing on the branch of a nearby tree.

A cynical smile appeared on her face as she pulled out one handful of kunai and another handful of senbon.

"I'm getting bored," said Anko, "It's time to play!"

Anko launched both hand-full of weapons at Ume. Ume dodged the best she could, but still came out with a few scratches from when the kunai and senbon had grazed her. Anko didn't stop her onslaught of trying to turn Ume into a human pincushion, and continued raining kunai and senbon needles down on the scrambling academy graduate.

Finally, Ume had had enough, 'Screw this! Time to regroup.' Dodging one last volley of weapons, Ume leapt away into trees and out of sight. Anko's smile turned shark-like.

"You can run, Snowflake, but you can't hide."

* * *

Anko hadn't had this much fun in a long time. She was getting a kick out of extracting her revenge on the white-haired punk that had had a hand in dumping a bucket of syrup and bag of flour on her head all those years ago. She was going to love every bit of this. Now where was that gaki?

Suddenly, a lone kunai came flying out of the trees, strait at Anko's head. Not bothering to jump out of the way, Anko leisurely leaned her head to one side, letting the kunai soar harmlessly by.

But Anko soon noticed that the kunai wasn't really aimed for her, but for a wire tied between two trees that Anko had overlooked. Once the kunai severed the wire, a hail of kunai came raining out of the trees. Anko jumped sideways to dodge the deadly barrage. But, while she was still in midair from her jump, Anko spotted Ume coming up on her fast, arm outstretched to grab her hitai-ite.

The moment Ume's fingers brushed the fabric of her headband, Anko snagged Ume's outstretched arm and used her momentum to fling her away. Ume skidded along the ground before wobbly getting back on her feet. They both stood their ground, waiting for the other to make their move.

Anko smirked, 'What's it gonna be, Snowflake?'

* * *

I was safe to say that Ume was completely miffed about her failed sneak attack. She had been so close! Now the question was if Ume should retreat again, to set a different trap… or face Psycho-sensei head-on and try to take back her headband by force rather than slyness….

Ume grudgingly decided to for the later, figuring that she wouldn't be able to surprise Anko with the same trick twice.

'Best to go all out and focus all of my energy on getting the blasted hitai-ite back,' Ume thought to herself before pulling a kunai from its holster and charging Anko at full speed.

* * *

Anko was grinning like a maniac as watched Ume charge her. So the gaki thought she could take her, huh? Well, time to ground the little ego into the dust.

As Ume got closer, Anko casually flicked a kunai at the runaway snowball. When it struck her, Ume popped into a puff a smoke, revealing a log in her place. A Kawarimi, eh?

Anko could hear the rapid footsteps coming from behind her, so she twirled around and released a handful of shuriken. But, Ume once again replaced herself with a log, right before they actually hit her. This time, she came in at Anko from the left.

They repeated this process three more times, and Anko was becomes pissed. She was sick of this repetition game. After her last Kawarimi, Ume was not coming at Anko from above, falling out of the air.

Anko only half-mindedly threw a handful of senbon at her before immediately searching for where Ume would pop out next.

It only a second for Anko to realize her mistake, but that was all that was needed. Instead of using another Kawarimi, Ume had taken the hit from the senbon and was still falling towards her. She had just been dooped.

Ume collided hard with Anko, taking both of them to the ground, but made no move for her hitai-ite. Anko soon realized why; then senbon needles she had thrown had hit some of Ume's pressure points, taking away the usage of her arms and legs. Anko rolled Ume off of her and got to her feet.

She smirked down at the incapacitated girl, "Ha, nice try gaki, but it looks like you're down for the count. And here I was hoping for a challenge, but I guess I was expecting to much. Besides, how could a greenhorn like you possibly think she could take on a Tokubetsu Jonin like me?"

* * *

Ume remained silent through Anko's mocking statement. Unable to move, she avoided Anko's gaze and glared up at the forest's canopy, waiting for Anko to fail her and tell her to beat it. But it never came.

Ume suddenly felt something light land on her stomach. Praying that it wasn't another giant spider, she lifted her head and found her hitai-ite laying across her shirt. Ume glanced up at Anko questionably.

Anko grinned at her, but not in her usual mocking or cynical way, "Congrats, gaki, you pass!"

Ume sat in stunned silence, her brain completely confused. She passed?

"Huh?" was all Ume could think to say, "B-but you said…"

Anko laughed, "You idiot, I knew all along that you would never be able to get your headband back!"

"What the hell?! You knew I wouldn't pass, but you made me do the test anyway?!" Ume fumed.

"Simmer down, Snowflake, I aint finished yet," said Anko, crossing her arms, "Getting your headband back wasn't the point. I was just seeing how long you would last before sundown, and much effort you would put into the test. I needed to make sure you were actually going to take the test seriously."

For a moment, Ume could only gap up at the crazy lady, but slowly the news start to sink into her brain. Her mouth stretched into an ear-to-ear grin. She passed!

"I passed!" Ume completely giddy. Who cared if she had a crazy sensei? She was finally a full-fledged kunoichi!

* * *

Ume didn't get home until late that night. After Anko-sensei had pulled out all of the senbon and treated her to congratulatory dango, she told Ume to meet her at the Forest of Death again early the next morning. Telling her that she was going to whip Ume into shape and work her into the ground. After today's test, Ume believed her.

So right now, Ume was sprawled out on her bed, with Naruto next to her, playing medic-nin.

"Ouch!" Ume winced as Naruto slapped another bandage on her arm.

Naruto proceeded peel open another. He didn't know exactly all that happened with Nee-chan and the crazy lady, but one thing blonde boy _did _know was that when _he _became a ninja, he didn't want a sensei as crazy as Nee-chan's.

**A/N**: Phew! My longest chapter yet! =^.^= reviews are greatly appreciated!

**Japanese/ Jutsu List**:

- **gaki**: kid, brat

- **Genin**: junior ninja

- **Jonin**: elite ninja

- **Tokubetsu Jonin**: special Jonin

- **Kawarimi**: substitution

- **shuriken**: ninja throwing star

- **senbon**: metal needle

- **sensei**: teacher


	5. Ch 4: The Student and the Teacher

-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-

**A/N**: This chapter is mostly filler, but I felt that it should be here.

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 4:

The Student and the Teacher

Run. Jump. Leap. Run. Turn. Run. Ume was running for her life in the all too familiar, creepy treetops of Training Ground 44. On normal occasions, the thick, high branches of the behemoth trees were the safest places to be in the Forest of Death. But today, _nowhere_ was safe.

'Must escape! Must escape! Must escape!', Ume chanted in her head as she zigzagged through the trees.

Occasionally, Ume would pause for a moment to set a quick Explosive Note trap, before continuing her mad dash through the forest. Hopefully her pursuer would be slowed down a bit by her desperate attempts. Suddenly, Ume heard the explosion of her latest trap go off.

"Crap!" she began to pick her pace, although she knew that it wouldn't do her much good. Her pursuer was closing in fast.

Ume began to make her path more random; changing her direction every few branches; fleeing like a deer being chased by a pack of wolves… or maybe a blood-thirsty, sadistic snake…

Ume heard the singing of kunai flying through the air and changed her trajectory again, letting them thump harmlessly into the bark of a tree. Her pursuer had caught up with her.

"Keep running, Snowflake! I _will_ catch you!" Anko's disembodied voice sounded from somewhere behind Ume.

Ume didn't waste her breathe for a reply. She focused on her task of staying away from Psycho-sensei as long as she could, and playing along to Anko's new favorite training exercise/ game: 'Catch the Snowflake'. Ume, of course, was the snowflake, and Anko was the one tried to catch her.

Anko-sensei had come up with "Catch the Snowflake" one day completely on a whim. It involved Ume running into the Forest of Death and, after a ten-minute head start, Anko would come in after her and attempt to "catch the snowflake". It was like a game of tag from hell.

Of course Ume never got to have a turn to "catch the crazy snake-lady" instead. And when Ume had asked what the whole point of the cruel game was, Anko told that it was fun for _her_ and would kick up Ume's stamina and ability to think on her feet.

Ume could see the logic in that. "Catch the Snowflake" would help her in the long run, if she ever had to escape a group of enemy ninja… but did sensei _have_ to send her snake summons after her and cause her mental scaring as well?!

Ume could hear Anko's heavy breathing behind her now, and her limbs felt like lead as she continued her tree-hopping. The weights Anko-sensei made her wear didn't help matters either. Ume was not aloud to take them off _ever_, not even when she _wasn't _training.

Suddenly, something heavy collided with her back and Ume felt someone's arms wrap around her waist. She had been caught. Ume was slammed face-first onto one of tree's thick branches, as Anko pinned her down with her foot between Ume's should blades.

"Catcha', Snowflake!" Anko shouted triumphantly, "Not bad, though. You lasted for thirty minutes and five seconds this time. That's a new record!"

Ume remembered when they had first played "Catch the Snowflake" three weeks ago; she didn't last five minutes before Anko had caught her.

"Yeah, yeah, just get off of me!" Ume snapped, she was always grumpy after this particular game.

* * *

Ume groaned, as she finished weeding the last of the old woman's garden. She was still swore from this morning's game, and these D-missions were so horribly dull.

After a short break from this morning's workout, Anko had put them to work by performing their day's share of missions… if you could even call them that; more like chores that people were too lazy to do themselves.

After the last weed was pulled, Ume stood up and dusted off her hands, Anko copied her actions. If there was one thing Ume learned about Anko, it was that she never went by a precise schedule.

When they were together, Ume never knew what to expect, because no day was exactly the same. A lot of the time, Sensei would make up things to do as they went along. Some days it would be: train, D-missions, train some more. While another day could be: D-missions, "Catch the Snowflake", train. Psycho-sensei could be such a slave driver most of the time.

Regrettably, Sensei had also stayed true to her word, and sent Ume home battered and bruised every day that they trained. Ume was getting tired of Ototo trying to bandage her up like a mummy every night.

After reporting in from weeding a garden, and taking a quick lunch break, Ume and Anko received another D-mission: deliver supplies to a local bakery. Simple and boring like usual.

It had taken them half an hour just to deliver all of the boxes of supplies to said bakery, and now Anko and Ume were sorting it all out in the storage area. The whole time they were there, Ume didn't miss the detestable glares the owner kept shooting at her.

Ume sighed, 'Great, another one of _those_ people'.

Sensei and student finished up stacking the items on the appropriate shelves and in the right storage containers. Once they were done, Anko and Ume made they out the bakery's front door, ready to report a 'mission complete'. That might have been the end of it, but the owner of the bakery had to go and ruin it all.

"Demon-lover," he spat at Ume's retreating back.

The white-haired kunoichi whipped around to face the bakery owner with a vengeance, 'Oh, no, he didn't!'

"You wanna run that by me again?!" snapped Ume.

The man may have been talking to _her_, but the intended jibe had been indirectly directed at Naruto. _Nobody_ messed with Ume's ototo and got away with it!

"You heard me," the man sneered, "You must have a death wish if you sleep in the same place as that _thing_. You'll never know when it might slit your throat in the middle of the night."

Ume clenched her fists and snarled, "Shut up! I'll throttle you!"

But before Ume could go through with her threat, a tan blur sped past her and slammed the bakery owner into one of the walls of his store. Anko held the man up by the collar of his shirt, with a murderous glint in her eye. Ume stiffened and the man quailed in fear when they felt the snake-mistress' killing intent role off of her.

"You got a lot of balls, mouthin' off like that. Especially for a civilian talking to two trained kunoichi," sneered Anko, her had an icy edge to it, "But if you spout off shit to my apprentice like that again, I'll castrate you with a dull kunai! Then you won't have the balls to do it again!"

Not waiting for a reply, Anko dropped the terrified man to the ground and continued in the direction of the Hokage Tower. Ume was stunned.

"What are waiting for, gaki? Move your ass!" Anko called over her shoulder. Ume scrambled after her.

* * *

After the reported their last mission a success, Anko did something else unexpected and told Ume to take the rest of the day off. Her only explanation was that she was tired and needed her dango. So, Ume was left to her own devices.

Anko-sensei's earlier actions at the bakery had made a warm feeling appear in Ume's chest. Standing up to the guy for Ume's sake gained Anko a new form of respect from Ume. Maybe the crazy Tokubetsu Jonin wasn't so bad after all.

With the newfound freedom on her hands, Ume decided to take advantage of this rare opportunity and meet up with Naruto. 'The academy classes should be ending for the day in a few minutes'.

Ume made it to old familiar building that she had graduated from only a short three weeks ago. She only had to wait a few minutes, before academy students came streaming out of the building; some of them meeting up with parents that were also waiting outside.

Ume could easily spot the bright-yellow hair and orange jumpsuit of her little brother amongst all of the other kids. Like Ume, his unique outer appearance made him stand out like a sore thumb in a crowd.

"Hey, Ototo!" Ume called out, waving her arm to get his attention.

Naruto's head popped up in surprise and a delighted smile appeared across his face, making the whisker marks stretch tightly across his cheeks.

"Ume-nee-chan!" he cried. His blue eyes sparkled with joy as he raced towards her, "Watcha' doing here, huh? Where's Crazy Lady?"

Ume laughed, "Psycho-sensei let me off earlier. So I thought we could hang out."

Then she remembered the bakery owner from earlier. Anko-sensei may have made him wet himself, but Ume decided that she wasn't done with him yet. After all, nobody messed with an Uzumaki.

"Actually, I had a good prank in mind, if you want to help," Ume suggested slyly. She already knew what Naruto's answer would be.

"You bet, Nee-chan!" Naruto agreed enthusiastically, "I always have time for a good prank, believe it!"

The Prankster Smile of Doom appeared on both of the sibling's faces.

'Time to have some fun!'

* * *

One prank and a humiliated civilian later, Naruto and Ume were on their way home with duel satisfied grins on their faces.

They reached their shared appartment in the early evening, both of their stomachs growling for nourishment. Ume had promised Naruto that she would make her special ramen-flavored onigiri for dinner tonight. It seemed that the only way Ume could get her ototo to eat anything healthy was by making it taste like his favorite noodle-y treat.

Once they reached the top floor, Ume unlocked the door to their appartment and both stepped inside. It wasn't very big; two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a living room/dining room/kitchenette combo. Just enough space for it's two occupants… but at the moment, there was an extra addition intruding in the siblings' living space.

"What are _you_ doing here?!" Ume and Naruto demanded at the same time.

Anko was sitting in one of the only two chairs in the house with her feet propped up on their dingy little dinning table. She only smiled innocently at them, with her arms crossed behind her head.

"You didn't think I was going to let you out of training early for _free_, did you?" asked Anko sweetly, "I've decided to let you be my ticket for a free meal tonight."

"What?! How the hell did you figure that?!" demanded Ume, "Me and Naruto are on a low budget as it is! Besides, I was going to cook tonight, not eat out."

"Well then, you had better start cooking for three, then," smirked Anko.

Ume growled. Anko-sensei may not be bad, but she definitely wasn't all _good_, either.

**A/N**: As I said before, this chapter was mostly filler. But, I felt the need to show a bit of Ume and Anko's relationship. Please Review! =^.^=

**Japanese/ Jutsu List**:

- **onigiri**: rice ball


	6. Ch 5: Legacy of the First

-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-

**A/N**: In this chapter, a major plot point will kick off, and hopefully the story will run a bit more smoother.

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 5:

Legacy of the First

Ume had excitement rolling off of her like waves; three months had passed since she first graduated from the academy, and today was the day that Anko had promised that they would go on their first C-mission together!

Today, Anko and Ume were to escort a trading caravan to the border of the neighboring country, the Land of Wind. It was simple, but it was a lot better than the crappy D-missions they had been doing. Plus, this would be Ume's first time out of the village.

It was safe to say that Naruto was not happy about this. He had begged and pleaded for Ume to take him with her- he would hide himself in her bag! There was no way that that could happen, so Ume placated him by telling the little blonde bundle of energy that she would train with him the moment she got back.

So now, Ume was with Anko and the trading caravan at the village gate, saying her final goodbye to Naruto.

"See'ya, Ume-nee-chan!" He called, waiving his arms like a maniac, "You better teach me a cool new Jutsu when you get back, believe it!"

"Bye, Ototo!" Ume waved back, "And don't worry, I'll only be gone for about a week!"

"Alright, enough of this sappiness!" called Anko impatiently, "Lets get a move on, already!"

After a final wave good-bye to Naruto, Ume and Anko walked out of the village gates along side the three oxen-drawn wagons of the trading caravan. Mission begin!

'Oh, Kami, this is so incredibly dull! I hope something exciting happens soon, I don't care _what_ it is.' Ume had found that this mission wasn't much less boring than some of the D-missions she had done.

Sensei had told her that it would take about three days for the caravan to reach Wind's border. It was now day two, as the company paced slowly down the forest road, and Ume was about to go crazy. C-missions usually posed little real risk for shinobi, but still. Even a false alarm would be satisfying.

'Psycho-sensei's training is a hundred-times more exciting than this.'

Anko had picked up on Ume's mood early on in their trip, "No worries, gaki! We'll play a nice round of "Catch the Snowflake" when we get back!"

Ume groaned. Apparently Sensei wasn't to happy about the mission either, and was going to take it out on Ume when they got back to Konoha. Maybe Ume _didn't_ want the mission to end so soon…

They continued on their way with Ume walking along the left side of the caravan, while Anko stayed on the right.

"Keep your head up, Snowflake," Anko called to Ume, "We're about to hit bandit country, so keep your eyes peeled."

Ume did as she was told and began to pay extra attention to her surroundings; The rustling of the leaves, the chirping of birds…. Wait. Ume realized that the forest was too quiet. The only noise was the crunch of their footsteps and the squeak of wagons' wheels. Everything else was completely silent.

Ume glanced over at Anko to see that her sensei's posture hadn't changed, but her eyes darted around, searching for any danger. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and Ume's hand twitched towards her weapons holster; was she being paranoid? Was her brain trying to make up for the mission's lack of excitement?

Ume got her answer when Anko called out a warning and several kunai flew out of the trees and struck where the two kunoichi had been standing seconds earlier. An ambush!

"Damn, we missed." Eight figures leapt out of the trees from either side of the road, circling the caravan; Bandits.

Five of them were dressed in ragged non-script clothing and were brandishing homemade weapons. The other three dressed a little better and carried old ninja tools on their person; probably guys who tried and failed at becoming shinobi. They were outnumbered, but not outmatched.

"Konoha must be short on hands if they sent a lady and a little girl to protect their goods!" laughed one bandit.

Yeah, this will be too easy!" said another.

Ume twitch, "Who are you calling 'little girl', fat head?"

"What did you call me?" the bandit growled.

"You, heard me, ugly!"

"Attack!" cried one of the ex-shinobi.

The traders of the caravan coward in their wagons when the bandits sounded a battle cry.

Ume pulled out a kunai as the three ex-shinobi and two other bandits charged Anko-sensei, leaving the last three to Ume.

The first bandit rushed her and swung a mace at her head. Ume ducked easily and punched the man hard in the solar plexus. He coughed up saliva and went down hard. One down, two to go. The other two bandits were a little smarter and circled her, looking for a weak spot.

"What's the matter?" taunted Ume, "Afraid that you'll have your but kicked by a "little girl", like that other guy?"

The two bandits snarled and charged her with there own battle cries. One of the men wielded a spear, while the other held a machete. They came at her from opposite sides, and Ume put her training into action.

She ducked under the machete and side-stepped a jab of the spear, only to sweep out her right leg and knock the spear wielder off his feet. The machete guy swung his blade downward, intent on cleaving her skull in two, and Ume brought up her kunai to block the attack.

She miscalculated the man's strength and Ume's arms nearly buckled when the blades collided with each other. Good thing Anko-sensei made hear do all of that weight training to strengthen her muscles, or else Ume would have just lost her head.

While holding of the machete-guy, Ume saw the other bandit get back on his feet. He charged her with his spear, ready to turn her into a shish kabob while she had her hands busy.

Thinking fast, Ume stepped into the machete guy's guard, causing the spear to bypass her, and head butted him in the gut. He fell to the ground holding his stomach in pain (good thing Ume had a hard head). Ume then spun on her heel and slammed the blunt end of her kunai in the back of the spear wielder's head. He hit the dirt face-first, out cold.

Ume was breathing heavily, now that the sudden burst of adrenaline slowly began to wear-off. She turned to were Psycho-sensei was taking care of the last ex-shinobi. Ume was about to start towards her sensei when suddenly a ninth figure burst from their hiding place in a tree.

Ume's eyes widened as another ex-shinobi swung a rusty kunai down towards her face. There was no time to dodge out of the way…

Anko grinned a feral smile; finally something to spice things up on this crappy C-mission! Although the competition could have been better…

The first two bandits when down before they even knew what hit them. The three ex-shinobi were not much better, so Anko had toyed with them for a while, for her own amusement. She became bored quickly, though, and brought down the last of them with a good punch old to the face. No fun at all.

Her smirk vanished when Anko turned to see how Ume was doing. Three unconscious bandits lay at her feet, while a hidden ninth man was seconds away from piercing the skull of her apprentice. There was not way Anko would be able to get to her in time!

Anko watched in horror as Ume instinctively raised her arm, in self-defense, knowing it wouldn't do any good. But the moment Ume raised her arm, a thick tree root exploded from the ground in front of Ume, stopping the ex-shinobi's attack. A second of stunned silence fell over everyone.

'What the hell?'

Ume's eyes nearly bulged out of her head when the man's kunai became lodged in the tree root that had completely come out of nowhere. Ume's raised arm jerked back in surprise. The root seemed to follow her movements and flicked the ex-shinobi away, slamming him into a nearby tree; he was out cold.

Ume stood frozen on the spot, the air around her was silent. What just happened?

"What the hell was that?"

Ume nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Anko's voice. Ume whirled around to face her sensei, noting that the tree root still moved with her. Ume tried to speak, but no words would come up, so her mouth just opened and closed like a fish out of water. What the hell _did_ happen?

When Ume had raised her arm to protect herself, the root popped out at that exact moment. And when she had moved her are away from her, the root had followed her movements and swatted the ex-shinobi away like a fly. Even now, the root was still copying the movements of Ume's arm.

Ume finally made her voice work, "…Uhh?"

The rest of the mission had passed by in a blur. After student and sensei had recovered enough to think properly, they continued their escort to Wind country's border. Afterwards, they turned their sights for home, an awkward silence hanging over them.

They were forced to take the scenic route (much to Anko and Ume's dismay), because, ever since the incident with the bandits, plants had been literally drawn to Ume's presents. When they had tried to journey back to Konoha from the treetops, the branches would reach out for Ume, making traveling almost impossible.

So, thanks to Ume's little flora problem, it took them an extra day to reach Konoha, much to Anko-sensei's annoyance.

When the two irked kunoichi finally reached the village gates and signed in with the two Chunin on guard duty, they made a beeline strait for the Hokage Tower. It was time to get to the bottom of Ume's newly found 'trick'.

When Ume and Anko reached the tower, they luckily didn't have to wait very long for the secretary to admit them into the Sandaime's office. The Hokage greeted them warmly and inquired them on how their mission went.

Anko-sensei did most of the talking. She described their mission in enthusiastic detail; from the moment they left the gates, to their encounter with the bandits and Ume's "plant trick", to their arrival at the border and journey back to Konoha. All the while, complaining about Ume's "plant problem".

Hiruzen remained silent through Anko's entire rant, but his eyebrows were slowly threatening to disappear off his face and into his Hokage hat. Especially when the snake-mistress described Ume's display with the tree root and how plants now reacted to her presents.

A pregnant silence filled the room when Anko finished her report. Ume fidgeted nervously when the Hokage turned his eyes to her; appraising her. After a few intense minutes of silence, Hiruzen put down his pipe and spoke.

"By your description… it would seem that our young Ume is displaying signs of a possible Kekkei Genkai," he said, folding his fingers together.

"What?" the two kunoichi backpedaled.

"How the hell could that have happened?" asked Anko, "Don't Kekkei Genkai usually only apply to certain clans? And Snowflake definitely isn't from any clan."

Ume could only nod in agreement; of course she wasn't from a clan, she was just an orphan. The only family she had was Naruto. Ume didn't know who their parents were, but surely Jiji would have told Ume if she was descendant of a special bloodline, right?

Hiruzen shook his head, "I' am only speculating, but I do believe Ume-chan has indeed inherited the Mokuton bloodline."

Anko was shocked speechless, it took a moment for Ume to find her voice as well.

"But Jiji, was-" Ume cleared her throat, "Wasn't Mokuton the Shodai Hokage's special Jutsu?"

Ume remembered reading about the founder of Konohagakure and how he was able to use wood-based techniques that nobody else could copy. How could she have that same power, too?

"But Hokage-sama, wouldn't Snowflake have to be somehow related Shodai Hokage to even have a chance at possessing the Mokuton?" asked Anko.

"Don't be so surprised," said the Hiruzen, "Many of Konoha's families are descendants of the Shodai's Senju Clan. Besides, it is not uncommon for Kekkei Genkai to skip generations before settling; this could very much be the same case."

Anko sighed and scratched the back of her neck, "This is all pretty weird." A grin suddenly appeared on her face and she grabbed a squawking Ume in a headlock , "But, this is great! Who would of thought that Snowflake here would have an awesome bloodline limit?"

The elderly Hokage chuckled at their antics, but he quickly became solemn again, "I believe it best to keep these revelations under raps for now. Ume, I think you should refrain from revealing your Kekkei Genkai to as few people as possible."

Ume wrestled herself free from Anko's grip, "Umm, I'll try, Jiji, but… some things I really can't control…" She proved her point by pointing at a potted plant that was conspicuously reaching towards her and following her every move.

Anko laughed and Hiruzen smiled good-naturedly.

"It's alright, Ume-chan, you shouldn't have too much of a problem with that in the main areas of the village," he told her, "You will simply have to be cautious in the training areas or if you ever leave the village on missions."

Ume sighed, "Ok, Jiji."

Ume's head was spinning with all of the new information had received today, as she made her way back home. Who would have thought that a simple C-mission would be the catalyst of a whole series of revelations… and problems? Ume was now a descendant of the famed Senju Clan and wielder of the Mokuton Kekkei Genkai. Who would have thought?

The moment Ume unlocked the door and stepped into the apartment, she was tackled by a little orange fishcake. Naruto hugged her tightly around the middle, making it hard to breathe.

"Welcome, welcome home, Nee-chan!" he sang happily, "I missed you! It was no fun around here without you!"

Ume smiled and patted his spiky blonde locks, "I missed you, too, Ototo. But I need to breathe!"

"Oh! Sorry!" he released her and smiled sheepishly, "Come on! Come on! Tell me about your mission with Crazy Lady, tell me _everything_!"

'Everything?' thought Ume 'Jiji said not to tell anyone, but…'

Ume decided it would be ok to tell Naruto, he was her brother, after all. Plus, if Ume was a descendant of the Shodai, then so was Naruto. Maybe _he_ would develop a Kekkei Genkai one day, too!

"Alright, alright, I'll tell you!" said Ume, "Just let me sit down first, I'm pooped."

Hiruzen stared at the photos of the past Hokage that hung proudly on the wall. Today's events had brought him quite a surprise. The child of two of his beloved students, and heir to the Senju Clan had manifested a Kekkei Genkai, but not just any bloodline limit, but the famed Mokuton.

This was both a blessing and a curse. It was a blessing in that it had revived an extinct piece of Konoha's history, and had a chance at being spread to future generations… But, it was a curse in that now it would now be harder to hide Ume's true parentage.

The Sandaime knew that Ume's Mokuton would not be a secret forever, and when it was exposed, members of the council would no doubt try force their influence upon it.

Ume's main threat would be Danzo. The old war hawk would undoubtedly try to take her under his wing, and turn her into a living weapon. Danzo had already tried to do the same with young Naruto, when his Jinchuriki was first revealed. Danzo was not the type to let this sort of thing slip through his fingers without a fight.

The Hokage glanced down at his old team photo, from when he was still young, and the legendary Sannin were still children. He looked at one member of the group in particular. Of course Danzo would be the only one Ume would have to worry about…

Hiruzen knew that he had best contact Ume's parents to inform them about recent events. He would be able to find Jiraiya through the toad sennin's spy network, but Tsunade was a different matter. When Tsunade didn't want to be found, it would be near impossible to do so. But, Hiruzen had to try.

The aging Hokage sighed. It would not be long before Ume herself found out about her true heritage, and her relationship with young Naruto.

**A/N**: Phew! Another long chapter. The Hokage is a tough character to right… -.- For those who are wondering about why Ume said that Naruto was a descendant of the 1st Hokage, its because she really thinks that Naruto is her brother by blood. Nobody ever told her otherwise. Anyway, please review! =^.^=

**Japanese/ Jutsu List**:

- **Kekkei Genkai**: bloodline limit

**- Shodai Hokage**: First Hokage

- **Jiji**: grandfather/ grandpa

- **Mokuton**: Wood Release

- **Chunin**: journeyman ninja

- **sennin**: sage

- **chan**: an affectionate suffix added to the names of girls or young children

- **sama**: a suffix used to show respect


	7. Ch 6: Troublesome Bloodline

-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 6:

Troublesome Bloodline

"That's it! I've had it with this crap!" fumed Anko.

It seemed that having a used-to-be-extinct bloodline limit wasn't all it's crackup to be. At least, this is what Ume had concluded: Her new Kekkei Genkai was _far_ too much trouble than it was worth.

The past few weeks had been nothing but aggravation for the white-haired Genin and her short-tempered sensei. Ever since Ume's Mokuton first appeared, training around any source of vegetation was a nightmare.

Anko's favorite training ground, The Forest of Death, quickly became off-limits when it came to training (much to Anko-sensei's chagrin). Regular-sized trees were bad enough, but when tree branches as thick as small houses and various poisonous plants start to grab out you, things can get a little tedious.

Ume didn't have to worry about her troublesome Kekkei Genkai as much in the main interior of village, just like Jiji had said. But, every now and then, Ume would find a place to avoid from fear of exposure. The Yamanaka Flower shop was a definite no-no, and anyplace else that Ume would have to explain why potted plants wanted to reach out and smother her.

Even the pot of flowers Ume had had sitting by her bedroom window had to be moved to Naruto's room, from the fear of being strangled to death in the middle of the night. Naruto had found the whole thing hilarious, but had also voiced that he hoped _he_ didn't get a Kekkei Genkai like Nee-chan's.

At the moment, Ume was untangling her legs from a bush she had wandered too close to and Anko-sensei was fuming at their interrupted Taijutsu practice.

"I've had enough of this crap!" Anko repeated again, jabbing an accusing finger at Ume, "Your little plant-problem is driving me up the ing wall!"

"And you think it isn't me, too?" demanded Ume, finally freeing herself from the shrub's clutches, "I preferred things the way they were _before_ this whole mess started! I can't help it if every green leafy-thing is out to get me!"

"Well, I can't work with this shit," huffed Anko, "Their has to be a solution for this, and I'm going to go find it!" Without another word, Anko Shunshin-ed away in a flurry of leaves.

"What am I supposed to do, then?" Ume asked nobody. 'Well I'm not gonna wait for Sensei around here.' Too many plants.

As Ume left the training grounds, she didn't notice the large blue toad watching her leave from the bushes.

Ume noticed that it was close to lunchtime when she entered the central part of the village. Since she hadn't hung out with Naruto for a good length of time in a while, Ume decided to surprise him with lunch. After ordering some takeout from Ichiraku's Ramen Bar, Ume made a beeline for the academy.

When she arrived, the students were already lounging about outside, chatting and eating in small scattered groups. Ume wasn't really surprised to find Naruto sitting alone under a tree, away from the other children.

Ume slyly snuck up behind him and whispered in his ear, "Boo!"

Naruto yelped in surprise, and tried to jump up, but only succeeded in tripping over himself tumbling down into a heap.

Ume laughed, "Ha, ha, gotcha, Ototo!"

Once he saw who it was, Naruto completely forgot about his embarrassment, "Nee-chan! What are you doing here?"

Ume grinned and held up the steaming bag, "Behold! For, I have brought food!"

"You're the best, Nee-chan!" whooped Naruto, causing several students to turn and see what all of the commotion was about.

Ume and Naruto settled down under a tree (the branches were high enough that they couldn't reach Ume) and tucked into their bowls of ramen.

"Fo, mow come moor mot mraining, Mee-chan?" Naruto tried to ask around a mouthful of miso-flavored ramen.

"Swallow before you talk," Ume reminded him, "Sensei said she was going to find something to help me with my, ahem, "plant problem"."

Naruto tried to laugh, but started to choke. Ume patted him on the back until it passed, and scowled at him.

"It's not funny!" she insisted, "It's a nightmare!"

"It's still funny, though," snickered Naruto.

Ume gave a playful swat at him, as the two siblings finished off their lunch. Neither noticed an oversized slug disappear from the tree branches in a small puff of smoke.

Ume stayed with Naruto for the remainder of the his break time. It wasn't until it was over and Ume had waved goodbye to Naruto as he went back inside, that Anko had reappeared (looking a lot happier than she did this morning).

"Tell me "I'm awesome", gaki. Our prayers are about to be answered!" announced Anko with a cheeky grin.

"How?" asked Ume suspiciously. It was always wise to be wary when Psycho-sensei was excited about one thing or another.

"Not here, lets go," Anko grabbed Ume by the around Shunshin-ed them both away.

Ume found herself in an unfamiliar clearing outside of the village, staring at the porcelain tiger mask and black and white body-armor of a lone shinobi. He seemed to be waiting for them, for he straitened up and began to walk towards them as soon as Ume and Anko arrived.

"Snowflake, meet our new friend, Tora," said Anko, clapping Ume on the shoulder, "Our salvation from this hell that you thrust upon us!"

Tora bowed politely, "Pleased to meet you."

"Hey!" Ume glared at Anko, "You know good and well that it isn't my fault! And how can this guy help me? You heard what Jiji said."

Anko waved off Ume's comment, "No worries, Snowflake. I got the O-kay from the Hokage and all that. He thinks it's a good idea, too, for you to learn a thing or two from Tora, here."

"But… what's with the fancy getup?" asked Ume, referring to Tora's mask and armor.

"He's with ANBU, silly," said Anko, and explained at Ume's still confused expression, "ANBU is short for 'Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai'. They're the true shinobi elites; they work directly under the Hokage himself."

Ume blinked in surprised and glanced at Tora, who seemed to be forgotten. 'He must be one hardcore shinobi, then.'

"Well, love to stay and chat, but I'll leave you two alone to get started. Good luck!" smiled Anko, before leaping up and settling herself in a distant tree.

Ume and Tora stared at each other for a few awkward seconds before Tora cleared his throat, "I guess we should get started then."

"What exactly are going to do?" asked Ume.

How could this guy be any help at all? Especially when her Kekkei Genkai was something that hadn't been seen in decades, and nobody else had?

"Anko-san informed me of your handicap, and, though I've never had this problem myself, I think I know a few things to help you gain some control," He informed her.

"Wait, what do you mean "you've never had this problem"?" asked Ume, a bit confused, "Do you have a Kekkei Genkai, too? What's it do?"

Ume couldn't see his expression, but his voice sounded a bit amused, "It's the same as yours actually."

"What?" backpedaled Ume. That was completely unexpected, "You- I-I- How? Are you a Senju?"

Tora chuckled behind his mask, "No, I'm not. But I'm afraid the reason why I have the Mokuton is classified."

"Oh," Ume couldn't think of anything else to say. But, she was thrilled to know that she wasn't the only Mokuton user, and had someone who could help her with her troublesome bloodline.

Tora's demeanor suddenly turn serious, "Alright, Ume-san, it is time to get to work. I will be teaching you the finer points of chakra control, as well a how to control your nature affinities."

"Yes, sir, Tora-sensei!" Ume saluted.

"Mokuton is a Kekkei Genkai that combines both water and earth- type chakra to for a whole new element: wood. If you are able to master both your Doton and Suiton, then in theory, you will be able to master Mokuton," summarized Tora, "It won't be easy, but you should be able to accomplish it if you give it your all."

"If it will keep shrubbery from molesting me if I get too close, I'm willing to do anything," said Ume. The whole overly-affectionate plant thing was getting old.

Tora nodded, "Then let us begin."

**A/N**: And that's the end of chapter 6, and I'm sure most of you already know who Tora really is. For pictures of Ume, check out the links on my profile. Please review! =^.^=

**Japanese/ Jutsu List**:

- **Shunshin**: Body Flicker

- **ANBU**: Special Assassination and Tactical Squad

- **Tora**: tiger

- **Doton**: earth release

- **Suiton**: water release

- **Chakra**: mix of physical and spiritual energy

- **san**: suffix (Mr., Mrs., Ms. )


	8. Ch 7: Youth

-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 7:

Youth

"Again," commanded Tora.

Ume was panting for breath and sweat dappled her forehead as she once again drew upon her depleting stores of chakra for the technique. Her hands moved through the necessary seals with practiced ease; Rat- Dog- Tiger.

"Mokuton: Mokujoheki!"

Root pillars emerged from the ground and created a protective dome barrier around Ume. She held the technique for a moment, waiting for Tora-sensei's verdict.

After a few seconds, Tora nodded his head in approval, "Well done. You can stop now."

Ume sighed in relief and released her hold on the technique, letting the pillars sink back into the ground. She flopped down on her bum, exhausted from today's Mokuton training. Tora-sensei could be as much of a slave driver as Anko when he really wanted to.

Ume had now passed through her first year as a Genin and was finally starting to gain control of her Kekkei Genkai. Vegetation no long tried to molest her when she walked to close to it, and Ume couldn't be more relieved.

For the past few months, Tora-sensei had trained Ume to use her Doton and Suiton chakra, in a clearing outside of the village (away from prying eyes). He taught her several Water and Earth Jutsus and would make her practice until Ume could do each one without flaw.

After he was satisfied with Ume's Suiton and Doton abilities, Tora began to teach her how to combine the two chakra natures to form Mokuton. Ume found it much more difficult than anything she had ever done before.

Tora-sensei's very first Mokuton training exercise had been for Ume to make an acorn sprout by using the chakra from her Mokuton. It had sounded simple at first, but in reality had been much harder to be put into action. It had taken Ume nearly two months just to cause a single tiny green shoot to appear from the shell. It got easier from there, but not by much.

Ume had had to claw her way up to where she was now. Every time she would complete one of Tora-sensei's exercises, she would just wined up back at square one for the next; for the longest time, it felt like Ume was taking one step forward and two steps back.

It had only been a month-and-a-half ago that Ume had started actual Mokuton Jutsus. Right now, Ume had mastered two wood techniques: the 'Moku Bunshin no Jutsu' and the 'Mokuton: Mokujoheki'. Ume was also working on two still-a-work-in-progress techniques that she had thought of herself: 'Mokuton: Ansatsu no Ne' and 'Mokuton: Ame no Hahen'.

Anko-sensei _did_ say that the mark of a true shinobi was one who created their own Jutsu.

Ume was brought out of her thoughts when Tora-sensei spoke again, "That is all the training we will be doing today, Ume-chan. I' am needed for a mission today."

Ume nodded in acknowledgement, "M'kay." It wasn't uncommon for Tora-sensei to cut their training periods short to go on things like missions, "See ya, Tora-sensei."

Tora-sensei didn't respond before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

After taking a quick shower and changing into some fresh clothes, Ume made her way down the streets of Konoha; searching for her dango-loving sensei. Sometimes Anko would watch Ume and Tora's training sessions, but most of the time, she would just ditch them and disappear to do Kami knows what.

Surprisingly, Psycho-sensei wasn't at her favorite dango shop, so Ume proceeded to check for her at the next most likely place: the local bars. After a few more minutes of searching, Ume finally found the purple-haired kunoichi laughing her ass off in the ruins of what used to be one Konoha's more popular bar and restaurant. What the hell?

"Hey, Snowflake! Your back early!" greeted Anko cheerfully when Ume approached her.

Ume face palmed when she surveyed the damage, "Ah, man, Sensei! Who let you drink this early in the day? You see what happens when you go on these damn binges of yours? Total chaos!"

Anko growled and smacked Ume upside the head, "Shut up, I didn't do this!"

"Then what the hell happened here?" It seemed that Anko's language was starting to rub off on Ume.

"One of Guy's gakis accidentally had some sake and when ballistic," said Anko, "The kid barely had a sip and 'Boom!'; proceeded to tear the place down. It took both Guy and another gaki to hold the little beast down before he finally passed out."

"…Wait, what? Who is 'Guy'?"

Before Anko could reply, a loud cheerful voice exploded from the ruins of the bar.

"Anko-san! Your Fires of Youth burn as brightly as ever today!"

Ume blinked in surprise at the sight before her. A Jonin with a shiny black bowl-cut and green spandex was all smiles and eyebrows as he approached the two kunoichi. He wore a typical green Jonin vest over a hideous green jumpsuit, as well as bright orange leg warmers. He also wore his hitai-ite around his waist like a belt.

Across the eyebrow-Jonin's shoulders slumped what looked to be his miniature clone. A relative of his, maybe? Coming up behind him were two Genin; a girl and another boy.

The girl was dressed in a pink sleeveless blouse and dark green pants, and wore her hitai-ite in the typical fashion around her forehead. She had big brown eyes and had her brown hair pulled up into two small buns on either side of her head. The rest of her features were pretty non-script.

While the boy sported a khaki shirt and slightly dark brown shorts, with bandages wrapped around his right arm and leg. He also wore his forehead protector in the traditional way. His dark hair was quite long for his gender and had it tied back a few inches above the end, while two straps framed the sides of his face. His eyes were the pale, pupil-less eyes that were only seen in members of the Hyuga clan.

"Not so loud, Guy!" scowled Anko, "I'm gonna get a headache from you spouting off your nonsense."

Ume had to agree with Sensei; this green-wearing Jonin's voice made her want to cringe and run away as soon as possible.

"Do not be so un-youthful, Anko-san!" Guy wasn't at all perturbed by Anko's lack of enthusiasm, "Even after Lee-kun's unfortunate event, the Springtime of Youth still shines brightly on this day!" He gestured to the still unconscious Genin slumped over his shoulder.

'Ah, that must be the kid that Anko-sensei mentioned earlier,' thought Ume. Now that she thought about it, the other two Genin looked a little roughed-up themselves. Probably from trying to stop the other Genin's drunken rampage.

"Whatever, Guy," said Anko, "So, these are your gakis, huh? They look like a colorful bunch."

"Ah, forgive my rudeness!" cried Guy dramatically, he turned to the other two Genin, "Tenten! Neji! Please meet the youthful Anko Mitarashi-san!"

"Pleased to meet you, Anko-san" the girl, Tenten, bowed politely. The boy, Neji, did the same, but stayed silent.

Ume was beginning to feel left out until Guy finally spotted her standing next to Anko. But, if his goofy grin was anything to go by, maybe Ume _didn't_ want to gain his attention…

"Ah, Anko-san! This must be the youthful student that I have heard so much about!" smiled Guy.

Anko seemed to remember Ume was there and grabbed her in a headlock, "Yup! Meet Snowflake!"

"That's _not_ my real name, Sensei!" protested Ume, twisting herself out of Anko's hold, "It's Ume Uzumaki, and you know it."

"Yeah, yeah," Anko waved her off dismissively.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Ume-san!" said Guy, giving her a thumbs-up and smiling so that his teeth had an unnatural sparkle to them, "May your Flames of Youth burn brightly!"

Ume tried to hold in a cringe, "Um, yeah… you too."

It was around that time that the third Genin, (was Lee his name?) began to stir from his awkward position across Guy's shoulders.

"Is that you, Guy-sensei?" he groaned.

"Ah! Lee, you have finally awakened!" cheered Guy, setting the mini-Guy on down on his feet, "You must meet two of our youthful comrades!" Was this guy obsessed or something?

At Guy's words, Lee's woozy demeanor disappeared completely and he gave Ume and Anko a "nice Guy pose", "Greetings, kunoichi-san! I' am Rock Lee, Konoha's Handsome Green Beast!"

Ume forced a smile, "Um, nice to meet you." 'Oh, Kami, there's two of them.'

Psycho-sensei must have been having the same thoughts as Ume, and tried to rap things up, "Weeeelllll, it's been great meeting each other buuuut, Snowflake and I gotta get going. We have a super-hard training exercise to do, and Ume would just _hate_ to miss it."

'Yeah, I bet.' thought Ume.

Anko's words just seemed to excite Guy more, "Oh! It must be a most excellent training exercise to excite Ume-san Flames of Youth!"

"Well, I don't mean to brag," grinned Anko, "But, the training game I made for Ume has given some pretty impressive results. I would have to say that her speed and stamina have increased three-times what they started out as."

Ume looked at Anko suspiciously. What was she up to? What game was she trying to lure Guy into?… wait, did she mean?

Guy looked intrigued, "What is this incredible training game, Anko-san? Please, do show us!"

"Yes, please show us, Anko-san!" Lee repeated after his older clone.

'She better not..' thought Ume, sending her sensei a death glare.

Ignoring Ume, Anko pretended to think about it for a moment, before smiling (a little too sweetly for Ume's taste), "Sure, why not? I sure Ume-chan would like a few extra playmates. As for what the game is called, well it's just something I like to call "Catch the Snowflake"."

'Crap!'

Ume scowled at the purple-haired kunoichi who was once again freeloading at her and Naruto's apartment, "I can't believe you did that. Those guys will probably be scarred for life now."

After Psycho-sensei had persuaded Guy Might and his team to play "Catch the Snowflake", (which was re-named "Catch the Gakis" a the time being) the three other Genin soon learned of the horrors hidden behind the innocent name.

Anko just laughed, "It was good for the gakis to experience a little fear! It will give them a head start in the real world."

Naruto looked between the two, "What happened, huh?"

Ume sighed as she continued to make dinner, "You don't wanna know, Ototo. You don't wanna know."

**A/N**: I know, another filler chapter. -.-; But, the plot will continue at the next chapter. In the mean time, please review! =^.^=

**Japanese/ Jutsu List**:

- **Kami**: god

- **Mokuton: Mokujoheki**: Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall

- **Moku Bunshin no Jutsu**: Wood Clone Technique

- **Mokuton: Ansatsu no Ne**: Wood Release: Assassin Root

- **Mokuton: Ame no Hahen**: Wood Release: Splinter Barrage


	9. Ch 8: Application

**-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-**

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter: 8

Application

Jump. Block. Counter. Evade. Counter. Block. Ume had currently found herself in a sparing match with Anko. Sneaky and underhanded Jutsus allowed.

Perspiration was starting to dribble down her forehead as Ume attempted a roundhouse kick to her sensei's exposed head. Anko blocked her kick with her forearm and went to grab Ume's outstretched leg. But Ume planted her hands on the ground and used her momentum to shove her sensei away. She wasn't about to suffer from one of Psycho-sensei's favorite moves of "throw the gaki".

Anko hopped back a few steps before rushing at Ume again. Ume quickly had her fingers form the snake seal and waited for the right moment.

"Mokuton: Ansatsu no Ne," Ume called out the name of one of her personal Wood Jutsus when Anko came within range.

Five thick jagged tree roots punched out of the ground in front of Ume and proceeded to try and pummel Anko into the ground. To the snake-mistresses credit, she managed to dodge everyone of the roots' attacks.

Although she still had yet to master it, Ume had come a long way with her Kekkei Genkai. Tora-sensei had taught her well in the use of Wood, Water, and Earth. Ume had even taught herself to perform one her original Jutsus with only one hand seal.

Turning her attention back to the fight, she prepared to defend herself once Anko was clear from Ume's failed Jutsu. Ume blocked a series of punches and kicks from her sensei, and threw in her own when she had the chance. Neither were gaining the upper hand in their test of Taijutsu skills.

"What's the matter, Sensei? You getting slow in your old age?" taunted Ume, throwing another punch at Anko.

Anko blocked the punch easily, "Ha! You're one to talk, gaki! I guess those skinny little arms just can't keep up with my awesome strength."

"Oh, please, you couldn't punch your way out of a cardboard box!" laughed Ume, trying to knock Anko off balance with a sweep of her leg, "I guess those immodest boobs of yours have to compensate for something."

"Well, at least I _have_ boobs!" resorted Anko, dodging another roundhouse kick from Ume.

"What is that supposed to mean?" fumed Ume.

"I mean that you are somewhat lacking in the chest area," smirked Anko.

"You're so dead!"

"Bring it on, Snowflake!"

It wasn't uncommon for Anko and Ume to spare verbally as well as physically. It just made the fight more interesting to see who could come up with the more witty response, and who would lose their temper first. With the two hotheaded kunoichi, it was only a matter of time before _one_ of them blew their top.

The two kunoichi jumped away from each other and quickly began to run through hand seals. They both finished nearly simultaneously.

"Katon: Endan," A stream of chakra-induced flames erupted from Anko's mouth.

" Suiton: Mizurappa," a wave of water gushed out of Ume's own mouth.

The two Jutsus neutralized each other when they collided, causing an huge cloud of steam to cover the area; blocking the kunoichis' view of one another. Once the steam cleared, student and teacher faced off once again.

"Hey, Sensei! Want to see a new Jutsu I came up with?" Ume called with an evil smirk that she had picked up from Anko, "You inspired this one!"

Not waiting for a reply, Ume quickly ran through the seals, "Doton: Iwahebi Hokaiteki!"

A huge rock-carved serpent explode from the ground in front of Ume and made a beeline for Anko; its jaws opened wide as if to swallow the purple-haired Tokubetsu Jonin whole.

Anko was surprised by the Ume's newest Jutsu, but managed to leap over the rock snake's head as it slammed into the ground where she had been standing moments earlier. But while she was in the air, Anko found Ume's fist ready to smash into her face.

Anko managed to maneuver her body enough that Ume's fist only clipped the side of her chin, and caused Ume to sail past her. Suddenly, snakes shot out of Anko's sleeve and latched onto the white-haired Genin's arm and shoulders. Ume gave a surprised yelp as she was pulled backwards and slammed hard into the ground on her back. After regaining the breath that had been knocked out of her, Ume scowled up at the smirking Anko.

"Looks like I win again, Snowflake!" taunted Anko, dismissing the snakes back into her sleeve.

Sen'eijashu; Ume really hated Psycho-sensei's trademark Jutsu.

Ume sat up. "You cheated! You said that you wouldn't use Sen'eijashu," grumbled Ume, tenderly rubbing the snake bites on her arm. 'Damn, that stung!'

"Well, I lied. An enemy shinobi wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of his trump card, and neither will I," said Anko, "Nice new Jutsu, though. I'm absolutely touched that you were thinking of me when you made it!"

Ume rolled her eyes at Anko's dramatic sarcasm; she didn't think she would ever get used to her sensei's imbalanced personality.

Anko glanced up at the sun, "It looks like it's about time for lunch. Come on, Snowflake, lets go get some chow!"

"Can we have something other than dango?"

"Nope!"

* * *

Ume sighed as she once again found herself accompanying Anko to her favorite dango shop. Ironically, it was the same shop that she and Naruto had first met Anko when they accidentally pranked her all those years ago. Weird how things work out.

Ume had already finished eating and was waiting for her sensei to hurry up. 'Sheesh, why does Sensei have to eat dango like Ototo eats ramen?'

Anko gave a content sigh as she dropped the last clean dango stick on her plate, "That hit the spot."

"You know, eating this much dango all the time can't be very healthy," said Ume, resting her elbows on the table, "It's bad enough that I have chastise Ototo to eat more healthy food, I don't need to do it to an adult… well, _physically_ an adult anyway." Ume wasn't so sure about Sensei's _mental_ age.

"Bah! I don't like to worry about shit like that," said Anko, waving her hand dismissively, "Besides, you worry too much. I could swear that you were middle-aged by the way you fuss over that little blonde gaki of yours."

Ume huffed, "Well, _somebody_ has to do it."

Anko shrugged, "Whatever, gaki. By the way, I got surprise for you!"

Ume felt her hand twitch for her weapons holster as Anko reached into her trench coat pocket. Surprises from Anko weren't always healthy for Ume's physical wellbeing. But, she relaxed a bit when Anko handed her a sheet of paper with the word 'Journeyman' written in bold letter at the top.

"What is it?" asked Ume, staring at it.

"It's what it looks like, silly!" grinned Anko, "It's an application for the Chunin Exams coming up in Kusa in a few days."

"Chunin Exams?" at first Ume was confused but an excited grin soon appeared on her features, "Are you serious?! This isn't one of your dumb cruel jokes, is it Sensei?"

Anko laughed, "Nope! This is totally real. I figured that your ready to try out for Chunin now. I would have signed you up earlier, but your little plant problem made that idea kick the bucket.."

Ume was grinning like an fool as she read over the application. Sensei was letting her enter the Chunin Exams!

Anko laughed again, "Judging by that idiot smile on your mug, I don't even have to ask if you even _want_ to enter."

Ume suddenly frowned at a line on the application, "Wait… it says that I have to arrive with all of my team members… I don't have any team members."

"Don't go getting your panties in a knot, I already found an empty slot on a team that's going," said Anko, "One of the team's members was in a last-minute training accident, so you'll temporarily be teamed up with them."

"Awesome! When are we leaving?" asked Ume.

"Tomorrow morning."

"What?!" shouted Ume, "You couldn't have given me a heads-up a little sooner?! This is kinda' last minute, isn't it?"

"I knew you would have said 'yes', anyway," said Anko, unashamed, "I saved me a lot of trouble just to tell you today."

'Well, at least she told me today and not _tomorrow_ when we leave,' Ume grumbled to herself.

"Anyway, go home and get packing," instructed Anko, "Tomorrow, we're going to Kusagakure!"

* * *

Ume had started packing the moment the got home. She was almost finished when Naruto came home and began inquiring her on where she was going. When Ume told him about the Chunin Exams, Naruto was both awed and a little bit jealous; He wasn't even a Genin yet, and she was going off to be a Chunin!

"This is awesome, Nee-chan," said the blonde bundle of energy the umpteenth time. He looked over at Ume large, filled to-the-brim bag, "Why are you taking so much stuff, huh?"

Ume winced a bit, "I'm going to be gone for a while, Ototo."

Naruto frowned and squinted his eyes, "How long?"

Ume hesitated, "… a little over a month…"

"A month?!" Naruto looked horrified, "You can't be gone that long! The Graduation Exam starts soon, what if you miss it?!"

Ume really felt guilty now. Naruto's class would be taking the academy Graduation Exam in about a month-and-a-half's time. Naruto had failed the past two times to graduate, and this would be his third attempt; Ume knew she needed to be their to see the results.

"Don't worry, Ototo. I've already talked to Anko-sensei, and she says that if everything goes right, we'll be back on the day that you graduate," Ume told him, trying to erase his puckered expression.

Naruto still looked worried.

Ume smiled and held out her fist, "I give you my word as a kunoichi, that I will be back in time to see you graduate."

Naruto looked at her fist for a moment. After considering her words, Naruto smiled and bopped her fist with his. When an Uzumaki made a promise, that promise was kept.

* * *

Ume woke early the next morning and, after saying goodbye to Naruto, headed for the village gate, with her bag secured on her back. Anko-sensei had told her to meet her at the gate to meet her temporary teammates. Ume made it to the gate in record time and found Anko already there waiting for her.

"You're late, gaki!" called Anko, once she spotted Ume.

"Am not!" protested Ume, "I'm right on time. You're just _early_, as usual." Sensei always had an annoying habit of being early to everything.

"Shad' up!" glared Anko, she always got embarrassed when she arrived at places too early, "I'm the sensei, you're the student, so what I say goes; and I say that your late!"

Ume was about to resort, when she her a polite voice coming from behind her.

"You must be our new teammate."

Ume and Anko both turned to see to see two figures coming towards them. The one who had spoken was wore a purple and white outfit and a pair of round black eyeglasses. His hair was a light shade of silver and was pulled back in a short ponytail at the nape of his neck. His hair contrasted greatly with his eyes, which were so dark, that they were almost black.

His companion, who stood a bit behind him, was taller than the silver-haired Genin. He wore a black outfit with a mask that covered the lower half of his face. He wore his hitai-ite like a bandana, so Ume could see what his hair looked like, and his eyes scowled out from behind a pair of glasses similar to his partner's. Both of them looked a few years older than Ume.

"Um, yeah," Ume scratched the back of her neck, "Name's Ume Uzumaki. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Kabuto Yakushi. Nice to meet you to, Ume-chan," smiled the silver-haired Genin.

"Misumi Tsurugi," the second Genin offered only his name.

Kabuto turned to Anko, "Thank you for letting us come along, Mitarashi-san. Misumi and I didn't think we would be able to go this year with Yoroi still in the hospital."

Anko just shrugged, "Think nothing of it." She then turned towards the village gate, "Alright, team, on to Kusa!"

**A/N**: and so Ume meets her temporary teammates, Dun, dun, dun! Now it's off to the Chunin Exams! Remember, reviews make me want to write more! =^.^=

**Japanese/ Jutsu List**:

- **Katon: Endan**: Fire Release: Flame Bullet

- **Suiton: Mizurappa**: Water Release: Violent Water Wave

- **Doton: Iwahebi Hokaiteki**: Earth Release: Destructive Rock Snake

- **Sen'eijashu**: Hidden Shadow Snake Hands

- **Kusa**: Grass

- **Kusagakure**: Village Hidden in the Grass


	10. Ch 9: Into the Grass

-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 9:

Into the Grass

The trip to Kusagakure was… interesting. Ume didn't have much experience with interacting with other Genin. The only other team that Ume had "trained" with was Guy Might's team, and that had only been for a day. The white-haired kunoichi wasn't quite sure how to act around them.

But one thing Ume _did_ learn on their trip was that she did _not_ like Misumi. He was a complete ass and a bit sexist. Whenever Anko-sensei was out of earshot, he would complain how they were stuck with a woman sensei and a little girl for a teammate.

He constantly tried to push Ume into a fight, and it took every once of willpower for Ume not to give into his jabs and punch his face in. Ume was relieved that their status as a team was only temporary; she didn't think her sanity could take having him as a teammate _all_ the time.

His silver-haired partner was the opposite, though. Kabuto was friendly and polite, and actually had a sense of humor. He would apologize to Ume for Misumi's behavior, and would have idle chit-chats with her when they were traveling or resting.

But, their were a few things Ume didn't like about Kabuto very much. For one, even though he acted and smiled politely, Ume couldn't but suspect that it was just that: an act.

Ume had done a little bit of side-training with Anko-sensei's associate, Ibiki Morino. The head of Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Force had taught her a few very useful things, one of them being how to detect deceit in a person. Ibiki had told her that a person's eyes could give away everything.

Behind the smiles and polite apologies, Ume had noticed a strange glint in the other Genin's dark eyes; something that spelt 'hidden intentions'. Whether those intentions were good or bad, Ume didn't know.

Another thing Ume didn't like about Kabuto was that he would constantly ask her about her training with Anko, what her strengths and weakness were, etc.; to the point that it was borderline nosy. Not wanting to give away any hints about her Kekkei Genkai, Ume would keep her answers short and discreet as possible; She was an orphan and lived with her little brother, she specialized in Ninjutsu, and Anko-sensei doesn't like for her to talk about their training regimens.

Kabuto didn't seem satisfied with her vague answers but, thankfully, he didn't pry any harder than that.

It had taken the group a little over two days to reach Grass Country. They arrived at Kusa's village gate in the late afternoon, and received their Chunin Exam Passes after handing in their registration forms. It turns out that today was the last day to apply; they made it just in time.

Ume had never been to another Hidden Village before, so she tried to take in as much of the sights as possible. Kusagakure wasn't near as big as Konoha, and didn't seem as friendly and welcoming, either. The shinobi here acted as if they would be attacked at any moment; silently looking over their shoulders and watching everyone's every move, especially with the foreigners.

They checked in at a small hotel that they would be staying for the remainder of their stay. Kabuto and Misumi would share one room, while Ume and Anko would share another.

As soon as they arrived in their room, Ume flopped down on her bed and sighed; it felt good to actually lay on a bed again and not in a sleeping mat on the forest floor.

Anko copied Ume and flopped onto her own bed, "So, Snowflake, what do you think of four-eyes one and two?"

Ume shrugged, "Misumi's an ass, and Kabuto's okay, but a little too nosy for my taste."

Anko laughed, "I guess you're right about that." Her expression then turned serious, "I gotta agree with you about that Kabuto guy; he needs to mind his own business."

"You're telling me," muttered Ume.

"By the way, the Hokage told me he doesn't want you to show off your Kekkei Genkai in the exams," said Anko, sitting up, "The worst thing you could do is expose yourself to so many different countries. Especially when most of them can be potential enemies."

Ume groaned, "Great, not only do I have to put up with Kabuto's constant pestering, but now I have to watch out for every other shinobi, too… not that it's any different back home."

"Ah, don't sweat it, gaki," said Anko, slipping off her shinobi sandals and shin guards, "Just relax for now. Tomorrow you get to kick everybody's ass and show them what a real shinobi can do! Just keep your head up, though. I don't want you to loose it."

Ume smirked. "Aww, are you worried about me, Psycho sensei?" she asked in a fake sweet voice, "Are you getting soft?" Anko smacked her in the face with her pillow.

"Don't get any ideas, gaki," scowled Anko, "I've spent all of my valuable time training your sorry ass, and I don't want it to go to waste by you getting your ass beat by some no-name ninja!"

"Whatever, Sensei," smirked Ume, "But now I've got your pillow, and I'm not giving it back!"

"Like hell, you won't!"

Outsiders could hear the sounds of a brief scuffle accompanied by shouts of "Ouch!" and "Hey!" coming from inside the room.

* * *

Ume was rudely awoken early the next morning by Anko, who thought it would be funny to flip Ume's mattress while she was still on it.

"Rise and shine, Snowflake! It's time for you to go and take names and kick ass!" Anko greeted cheerfully.

"What the hell, Sensei?!" growled Ume, pushing herself out from under her wayward mattress, "You couldn't have thought of a better way to wake me up?"

"Believe me, there were better ways, but I couldn't find the supplies for it," Anko smiled sweetly.

Ume grimaced; For Anko, 'better' meant 'worse' for Ume. Maybe a flipped mattress had been the lesser of the evils.

Anko didn't give Ume time to dwell on the subject, "Get a move on, gaki! If you're late, you'll be disqualified."

Ume got ready in record time and, after double checking all of her equipment, she didn't know what the exam would hold, so it couldn't hurt to be prepared. Afterwards, she and Anko left their room and found Kabuto and Misumi standing in the hallway, waiting for them.

Kabuto greeted them in his polite, friendly manner and Misumi, typically, just stood there scowling. Together, they exited the hotel and headed for the building that would host the first test of the Chunin Exams.

* * *

The building that the first test would take place in reminded Ume a little bit of the academy back in Konoha; except, it didn't really give off a warm-welcome vibe like the academy did.

Ume had butterflies in her stomach when Anko-sensei passed them off to a Kusa Jonin. This was it.

"Good luck, gakis!" called Anko, "Go kick some ass!"

The Jonin lead Ume, Kabuto, and Misumi to an empty room on the second floor, and beckoned them inside, "Wait here for your first test." Without any further explanation, he closed the door and left the tree Genin alone.

Trying to dispel the awkward silence that followed, Ume cleared her throat, "So… do you have any idea what the test might be?"

"It will most likely that the first test will be non-life threatening," said Kabuto, pushing his glasses further up his further up his nose, "That is usually how it is during these exams."

"You sound like you've done this before," commented Ume, "Is this your second time to enter?"

Kabuto gave a slight chuckle, "No, it's my sixth time, actually. The Chunin Exams are biannual, so this would be my third year."

"Sixth time?!" Ume couldn't believe it, "Is the exam really _that_ hard? Or are you just that bad?"

"It is difficult," said Kabuto, not at all bothered by her comment, "I just can't seem to make it past the second round."

Ume felt a little sick; she had come all this way, and she might not even _finish_ the exam. Ume hoped she could at least make it past the _first_ test.

Misumi picked up on her hesitation and pounced on it. "What's the matter, rookie? You going to chicken-out on us?"

Ume growled and glared at the mask-wearing Genin, "Shut up! I came all the way from Konoha, dealing with your crap, and I'm not going to leave empty-handed! Your infuriating crap isn't going to scare me away!"

"We'll see," sneered Misumi.

The two temporary teammates didn't have time to continue their little spat. The only warning Ume had was a slight tremor running down her spine, before it happened.

Before anyone one of them could react, thick brown roots shot out of one of the walls and ensnared Ume and Misumi. The two Genin were pinned to the wall, as the roots began to spread. The more the two struggled, the tighter the roots' grip seemed to get. Kabuto was the only one free from the deadly tendrils.

'Is this the first test? I thought Kabuto said it would be non-life threatening!' Ume twisted her head away from a tendril that was trying to wrap its way around her neck.

"No! Get Misumi first!" said Ume when Kabuto made a move to help her.

Anko-sensei had trained her to withstand torture and such, and this could probably be counted as a form of torture. She didn't know if Misumi had had the same training. Jerk or not, he was still her teammate.

Kabuto nodded as soon as Ume's words left her mouth and slashed at the roots holding Misumi with a kunai. But, the moment his kunai came down, the roots holding both Misumi and Ume crumbled into clumps of clay.

All three Genin starred in confusion. 'What the-?'

"Genjutsu," stated Kabuto, adjusting his glasses again.

Suddenly the door opened and the same Jonin that had led them here appeared, "Congratulations. You three have past the first test."

"Huh?" Ume was lost, "But, we didn't really do anything…"

Misumi shot her a look that said 'shut up, and don't make him change his mind!'

The Kusa-nin looked a bit amused, "The point of the test was to see how well you took orders and carried them out without question. The slightest hesitation could mean life or death for a shinobi, and it is sometimes necessary to sacrifice a comrade to save another. To be a Chunin, you must know how to make these sacrifices."

The three Genin stood in solemn silence; the Kusa-nin had a point. Moving up the rank meant more responsibility and hardship.

The Kusa Jonin interrupted Ume's musing, "Follow me, the second portion of the exam will begin soon."

Ume followed the Jonin and her teammates out the door, wondering what horrors the next test would bring.

**A/N**: And the Kusa Chunin Exams take off! Remember to review, or Ume will kidnap your computer! =^.^=

**Japanese/ Jutsu List**:

- **Ninjutsu**: Ninja Technique (with chakra)

- **Genjutsu**: Illusionary Techniques

- **Jonin**: Elite Ninja

P.S. I go back to school on Tuesday (college) so updates might slow down a bit. -.-;


	11. Ch10: Hunting

**-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-**

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 10:

Hunting

The Jonin lead the trio to the outskirts of the village, where fourteen other teams were waiting. Ahead of the crowd was a large chain link fence that reminded Ume an awful lot of the fence that surrounded the Forest of Death back in Konoha. Did Kusa have their own version of the dreaded training ground?

As they stood around with the other waiting Genin, Ume began to pick out shinobi from several different Hidden Villages. Ume spotted four other teams from Konoha, three from Kusa, Suna, and Ame, and even a team from Iwa. That made fifteen teams in total had passed the first test.

After a few more moments of waiting, a stern-looking Kusa-nin appeared before the large group of Genin.

"Quite!" he barked, silencing the light chatter coming from the group, "Listen up! Now that the failures have been weeded out, it is time to get serious."

The Jonin had the Genin's full attention; nobody said a word and waited for the examiner to continue.

The Kusa-nin swept his gaze over the remaining teams, "The second part of this Chunin Exams will be a search-and-destroy test, and will be done as individuals instead of as a team."

Ume was a bit surprised by this; why were they acquired to enter as a team if they were just going to be split up in the middle of the exam?

"The first test tested your ability as a team, but this test is different. The area behind me is a training ground that runs twenty kilometers in all directions; this is where you will be tested," explained the Jonin, "All of you will be sent into the forest from different gates. Once inside, you have seventy-two hours to collect as many hitai-ites from other Genin as you can, as well as keep a hold of your own.

"Out of the forty-five Genin standing here now, only six who gathered the most hitai-ites will advance to the next round."

A low murmur ran through the group of Genin; so the second test was a free for all?

"What are the rules?" asked a random Genin.

"Only to gather as many hitai-ites by any means necessary," said the Jonin, "Think of it as test that simulates hunting down and destroying enemy shinobi."

Ume gulped, 'By any means necessary? That means people can be killed in this test, I need to be very careful.'

"One last piece of advice before we start," said the Jonin, crossing his arms, "Show no mercy, fore you probably won't receive any."

Ume said goodbye to Kabuto and they wished each other luck, before each of the Genin were placed at a gate with a Chunin, waiting for the signal to begin. The butterflies had returned in Ume's stomach.

'Focus, girl', Ume told herself, 'Don't let all of those games of "Catch the Snowflake" go to waste. Just don't loose your cool, and you will be fine.'

Suddenly, the Kusa Jonin's voice rang-out for all of the Genin to here, "The second portion of the Chunin Exams will begin…. Now!"

* * *

Ume took to the trees the moment the Chunin had opened the gate; Ume had spent a large amount of her time training in the tree tops with Anko, and she was going to use that to her advantage. Plus, she was in her element. Even if she was told not to use her Mokuton, Ume felt more secure in the trees than she did on the ground.

Lucky for Ume, the trees here were as big as the ones growing in the Forest of Death, and even had mammoth-sized mushrooms sprouting from them. So, Ume could travel without ever touching the ground.

Ume suddenly slowed down and quieted her pace, when she picked up a chakra signature up ahead. Suppressing her own chakra, Ume began trailing the unknowing Genin. She slowly gained on him, but kept out sight. If she played her cards right, she could get the jump on the other Genin and steel his headband before he noticed what had happened.

Ume was nearly directly overhead of the Genin, as he traveled along the ground. Waiting for the perfect moment, Ume launched herself from the treetops directly at the oblivious Genin.

The heel of Ume's sandal collided with the back of the Genin's head and sent him rolling head-over-heels along the ground. Ume watch as he skidded to a stop and lay in the dirt, unconscious.

Ume rushed over and untied the Genin's hitai-ite. She grinned triumphantly and held up her prize, revealing the Kusa symbol etched onto the metal plate.

'That's one,' thought Ume, sliding the stolen headband into her hip pouch. 'Time to find another target.'

The white-haired kunoichi once again took to the treetops.

* * *

It was now nearing the end of day two in the second part of the Chunin Exams. During this time, and Ume had not been able to find any other Genin other than the one she had ambushed on the first day.

The white-haired kunoichi was currently resting under the cap of one of the giant mushrooms growing in the towering trees. It was getting late, and Ume decided to search for another target for a little while longer, before finding a safe place to camp for the night.

Ume kept a steady pace as she leaped through the treetops, searching for any nearby chakra signatures. She wasn't having any luck, and it would be dark soon.

'I doubt only one headband will be enough to make the cut,' thought Ume, 'I've got to keep looking!'

Ume had no time to react on what happened next. A figure suddenly appeared in her peripheral vision, and Ume felt something hard collide with her cheek.

Ume was seeing stars when she landed hard on one of the lower branches of a tree. The wind was knocked out of her and tears came to her eyes as her left cheek throbbed painfully. Ume's vision finally started to clear when a mocking laugh echoed somewhere nearby.

"It must be my lucky day; Another leaf for me to pluck!"

Ume looked to see a smirking shinobi standing on a branch in a tree across from her. His hitai-ite marked him as a Genin from Iwagakure. Ume inwardly cursed herself for being caught off guard like that; she had gone from the hunter to the hunted.

The Iwa-nin sneered as he held up his arm to reveal three Konoha headbands dangling from his wrist, "It looks like you Konoha shinobi aren't as great as they say you are. I'll be adding your hitai-ite to my collection."

Ume glared at him and rose up to defensive stance, "Over my dead body."

This bastard only targeting Genin from Konoha; Ume's allies! Konoha and Iwa never did get along with each other, especially after the Third Great Shinobi World War, but this was pushing it.

The Iwa Genin gave a predator-like grin, "If you say so."

Ume braced herself as he lunged towards her, two curved daggers in each hand.

* * *

Anko was lounging across her bed back at the hotel, waiting out until the second test had ended and to see who would advance to the next round. She watched the sun slowly start its descent towards the horizon.

The snake-mistress scowled; she wondered how Snowflake was doing. The two other Genin she didn't think much about, but Anko would be lying if she said she wasn't a little worried about Ume. The Chunin Exams were dangerous, they always have been.

Most of the shinobi participating were on fair terms with Konoha. But a few Genin from Iwa were taking the exam, and Iwa and Konoha mixed like water and oil. If Ume had anything to worry about, it would be running into a bitter Iwa-nin. Especially when she didn't have a team to back her up.

She just hoped that Ume's training would be enough.

Anko snorted to herself, 'Maybe I' _am_ getting soft. Snap out of it, Anko. The gaki will be fine…. I hope.'

A/N: New pictures are up on the link on my homepage! Reviews and healthy criticism are helpful. =^.^=

**Japanese/ Jutsu List**:

- **Suna**: Sand

- **Ame**: Rain

- **Iwa**: Rock

- **Iwagakure**: Village Hidden in the Rocks

P.S. I'm thinking about letting Haku live in this fic. Please send me a message telling me your thoughts on the idea. ^/.\^


	12. Ch11: Making the Cut

-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 11:

Making the Cut

Ume had been on the defensive for some time now. The Iwa Genin was ruthless with his attacks, and it was all Ume could do but defend and retreat. When she had said "over my dead body", he apparently had taken it to heart. The Iwa-nin's attacks had forced Ume to ground level, and now had proceeded to attack her with Doton Jutsus as well.

"Doton: Doryuso," stone spears rose from the ground and made a path straight for Ume; ready to spear her like a fish.

Ume quickly used a Kawarimi with a nearby log before countering with a Jutsu of her own, "Suiton: Mizurappa."

The large stream of water exploded towards the ruthless Genin, but as the water approached him, the Iwa-nin just smirked and let it wash over him. At first, Ume felt a bit of satisfaction, but that soon died away when the Jutsu dispersed to reveal nothing but a large pile of mud in the Genin's place.

'An Earth Clone!' Ume thought franticly, whipping her head around, trying to find the missing Iwa-nin, 'Where the hell is he?!'

Ume's eyes widened as she felt a slight rumbling under her feet. Acting on instinct, she dived to one side, narrowly missing the Iwa-nin's slashing blades as he popped out of the ground where Ume had been standing.

"I missed," said the Iwa-nin mockingly, "That's a first, all of your little leaf friends fell for that same trick."

"Well, it looks like you'll have try a little harder to outsmart me, you Iwa-bastard," smirked Ume. She tended to act like Anko a lot more, when she starts to fight.

"Maybe. But, I think I'll skip trying to outsmart you, and just beat you into submission head on," he said, once again rushing her with his curved blades.

Ume pulled out two kunai and proceeded to parry his fearsome blows. Her arms trembled with each strike that she blocked.

'Damn it, he's strong!' Ume clenched her teeth together, 'I need to think of something fast before I end up as another statistic.'

Leaping back to give herself some room and quickly ran through some hand seals, "Doton: Iwahebi Hokaiteki!"

A giant snake golem burst out of the earth and barreled towards the Iwa-nin, smashing him into the ground. Ume saw the splintered remains of a log in the rubble, and cursed.

'A Kawarimi!'

Something appeared in her peripheral vision, and Ume instinctively brought her arms up in defense. The Iwa-nin's foot collided with her arms and sent her rolling along the ground.

The Genin loomed over her, dagger raised to strike, "Say goodbye!"

Both the Iwa-nin and Ume were caught off guard when a kick came out of nowhere and sent the crazed Genin skidding away from the white-haired kunoichi.

"Goodbye," replied a familiar voice.

Ume could have cried in relief at sight of the silver hair and glasses, "Kabuto! Nice of you to drop by!"

"Well, I heard some commotion going on and thought that I should check it out," he smiled as Ume got to her feet, "I guess it's a good thing I did."

"You're telling me," winced Ume, as she gingerly touched her swollen cheek, "This bastard's out for blood."

The Iwa-nin picked himself off the ground and scowled at the newcomer, "You'll pay for sticking your nose were it doesn't belong, Konoha-scum. It looks like I'll be adding two headbands to my collection."

"Tag team?" suggested Ume, not taking her eyes off the Iwa-nin.

Kabuto adjusted his glasses, and smirked "Why not? After all, we're on the same team."

The Iwa-nin gave a short battle cry before charging the two Konoha Genin. The two Genin were in motion as soon as he took his first step. There was no need to voice the plan, it was simple; whoever the Iwa-nin would go after first would keep him busy, while the other would take him out from behind.

The Iwa Genin headed for Ume, considering her the weakest and easiest to get rid of; figures. Ume threw the two kunai in hand at the oncoming Genin, and Kabuto began to maneuver around behind him.

The Iwa-nin knocked the kunai away with his blades and continued his charge. Ume ducked down and performed a low sweep with her leg, when the Genin came within range. He jumped to avoid Ume's kick and twisted his body so that he also dodged an attack from Kabuto.

Using his momentum, he grabbed Kabuto by the back of the shirt and flung him away. He abandoned Ume and followed Kabuto's trajectory. He was upon the silver-haired Genin before he could push himself off the ground. The Iwa Genin grinned menacingly and raised a curved dagger.

Ume didn't think when she quickly put her hands in the seal of the snake and focused her Mokuton chakra. A root shot out of the ground and grabbed the surprised Iwa-nin's wrist.

"What the-" he was cut off when Kabuto's fist slammed into his temple.

The crazed Genin crumbled to the ground, out cold. Ume sighed in relief but inwardly cringed a the idea that she had used Mokuton, when Anko had specifically told her not to.

'But it was an emergency,' Ume told herself, 'He was going to kill Kabuto, I had no choice.'

Kabuto smiled at her, "That was a close one, huh?"

"You're telling me," said Ume, "That guy was crazy."

Kabuto looked at the wilted root that was still sticking out of the ground curiously. Uh, oh.

'Please don't ask! Please don't ask! Please don't ask!' Ume chanted in her head, swallowing heavily.

"Did you do that?" asked Kabuto, looking back at her.

'Damn it!'

"Do what?" asked Ume, faking confusion.

"That," he gestured at the root.

"No. That was so weird, wasn't it?" Ume hoped Kabuto wouldn't see through her cover-up, "That thing came out of nowhere, I guess the trees didn't like that guy, either!"

Kabuto stared at her for a moment, but said nothing. Ume held in a sigh of relief when he turned to the unconscious Iwa-nin. He crouched down and untied the Genin's headband, as well as the three Konoha hitai-ites. He then turned and held them out to Ume.

"Huh?" Ume starred at the offering.

Kabuto gave a friendly smile, "You take them. He was originally your opponent, and I just happened to step in. Besides, I'm confident that I can get by without them."

Ume mechanically to the four hitai-ites, "Um, thanks a lot, for the headbands and for helping me take out the Iwa-bastard."

"No problem," said Kabuto, "Well, I better go. It's nearly dark, and I need to find my camp. I left my stuff back there."

"Okay, I guess I'll see when the test is over," said Ume, stuffing the hitai-ites in her hip pouch with the Kusa headband.

He waved before disappearing into the forest. Ume followed his example and continued in the direction of the gate she started in; intent on finding a place were she could lick her wounds and wait out the third day without anymore harassment.

* * *

Kabuto sat in the shadows of a small rock formation, the forest dark as the sun slowly slipped behind the horizon. He pushed his glasses further up his nose as he pondered the day's earlier events.

The silver-haired shinobi had been spending the last two days secretly observing the participants of the exam; searching for strengths, weaknesses, and future potential of the Genin. All of the information Kabuto required, he printed on small chakra-infused cards; easy to pull out and observe or to add additional info. The information that he gathered would be for Orochimaru-sama, if he ever required info on any specific shinobi.

Kabuto had served his true master as a spy for years. He had used the past Chunin Exams to gather as much info as possible to help spot potential allies or enemies, or even future hosts for the snake-Sannin.

The silver-haired shinobi looked down at his newest info card that had a small photo of a white-haired kunoichi starring back at him. Ume Uzumaki; Genin of Konohagakure, apprentice under Anko Mitarashi, has completed twenty D-rank missions and eight C-rank. Has talent in both Doton and Suiton Jutsus…

Kabuto had watched the entire first half of the fight between Ume and the Genin from Iwa. He had made sure to keep his presents a secret, as he picked out the two battling Genin's skills. Kabuto could tell from the fight that, although Uzumaki was skilled, she lacked the bloodlust of the Iwa Genin.

The only reason Kabuto had interfered with the fight was to gain the kunoichi's trust; he was sure Orochimaru-sama would be interested that his former student had taken in a Genin of her own.

Kabuto's thoughts then turned to the conclusion of today's fight. When the Iwa-nin had come at him with the intent to kill, the silver-haired Genin wasn't in any real danger, he could have easily defended himself. But, he had been greatly surprised when a tree root had appeared out of nowhere and defended him. Coincidently, this happened not seconds after Ume had performed a hand seal.

The kunoichi had denied that she had anything to do with it, and it had happened completely by chance. Kabuto was skeptical about that; he could tell that she was lying just by the way she acted.

Thinking back, Kabuto remember that Ume had performed the seal of the snake; a seal commonly affiliated with Doton Jutsus. But the root had been real wood, not an impersonation of earth.

He didn't have solid proof, but Kabuto figured that the kunoichi _might_ have the ability to use special chakra, perhaps a Kekkei Genkai. It would explain her nervousness and unwillingness to explain what happened.

Kabuto adjusted his glasses. Whatever the case, it was worth looking into. He would have some research to do once he returned to Konoha.

* * *

Ume was not in the best of moods. The snow-haired kunoichi had spent the last twenty-four hour of the exam hidden away in thick, hollowed-out tree (one she had shamelessly hollowed out herself using her Mokuton).

Having to hide in one spot for so long, had left her more than a little grumpy. Not to mention that she was really sore (especially her cheek) from yesterday's fight with the Iwa-nin.

Ume had only been a mile away from her starting gate, so it didn't take long to get there, as the final hours of the test dwindled down. The Konoha kunoichi nearly cried in relief when she finally exited through the gate and left the forest behind.

'Thank Kami, that's over,' Ume grumbled to herself.

Ume wasn't out of the forest for five minutes before she was caught in a headlock by a familiar purple-haired kunoichi.

"Hey, Snowflake! You survived the second test!" grinned Anko, ruffling Ume's hair, "You had me worried there for a minute. Cutting it kind of close with the deadline, weren't you?"

Ume struggled against Anko's grip, "Let go, that hurts, Sensei!"

"Oh, sorry!" Anko grinned sheepishly, releasing her student.. She gave her a once over, "Run into a little trouble there, gaki? That's a nasty bruise you've got there."

Ume massaged her sore cheek, "Eh, nothing I couldn't handle."

There was no way she was going to tell Sensei about her accident with the Mokuton. Anko would kill her… then bring her back to clean up the mess.

A few minutes later, a Kusa Chunin came around with a clipboard. She when around to each Genin that had made it out of the forest by the deadline. Checking down the number of headbands each person was to get.

"Please present the hitai-ites you have managed to collect," drawled the Chunin when she approached Ume.

Ume reached into her hip pouch and held up her trophies, "I got five."

The Chunin scratched down the number on her clipboard before moving on.

"Not to shabby, Snowflake," commented Anko, "But, what made you decide to take out Konoha-nin?" She gestured at the three leaf-marked headbands.

"I didn't," said Ume, dumping them on the ground, "I swiped them from an Iwa-nin I ran into."

"Thief," teased Anko.

"You know it," grinned Ume.

Finally, the Chunin from earlier called for attention, "All of the results are in, and the Genin that shall move on to the final test of the Chunin Exams have been decided. Those Genin are: Io Amadare of Amegakure, Hajimaru Futsu of Konohagakure, Kashi Kudamono of Kusagakure, Ume Uzumaki of Konohagakure, Goto Sakyu of Sunagakure, and Ganjo Daikonran of Iwagakure."

Ume whooped in excitement at hearing her name; she had made the cut!

Anko patted her on the back, "Way to go, Snowflake!"

"The third test will be fought tournament-style, and will take place in one month's time," continued the Chunin, ignoring the surprised outbursts, "Consider it a time to prepare and train for the opponents you will face.

You will be competing in front of honored dignitaries as well as several country daimyos, so the third test will be an excellent time to show off your skills as a shinobi."

'Not like I'll be able to show _all_ of my skills," Ume thought bitterly.

"Since it is common for shinobi to unknown enemies, the six of you will not be told who your opponents will be," concluded the Chunin, "You are dismissed."

"Man, couldn't they have at _least _told us who we are going to face?" whined Ume, "So we would have _some_ idea of what to train for."

"Now would the fun in that be?" asked Anko, "It just makes the game that more interesting."

Ume just rolled her eyes as she began to follow Anko back to the hotel, she was exhausted. She glanced around to see if she could spot Kabuto or even Misumi-bastard. There was no sign of them. Maybe they already left for the hotel?

Ume shrugged, but then froze when she saw a different familiar figure. Those dark eyes and sadistic smirk were undeniable. Ume couldn't believe it; it was that bastard Iwa Genin that had attacked her, standing only a few yards away. He leered at her and held up six hitai-ites for her to see.

' 'The hell?!' Ume screeched in her head, 'Where and when the hell did he get _those_?! Shit, he's the Iwa Genin that passed!'

Ume felt like crying in disappear as she stumbled after Anko.

'Why does Kami hate me so?!'

**A/N**: and that ends the second part of the Kusa Chunin Exams. Reviews, Suggestions, and healthy criticism are welcome =^.^=

**Japanese/ Jutsu List**:

- **Sunagakure**: Village Hidden in the Sand

- **Amegakure**: Village Hidden in the Rain

- **Doton: Doryuso**: Earth Release: Rising Stone Spears

- **Daimyo**: Feudal Lord

- **Kashi Kudamono**: Oak Fruit

- **Io Amadare**: Sulfur Raindrop

- **Goto Sakyu**: Sand Dune Robber

- **Hajimaru Futsu**: Ordinary Start

- **Ganjo Daikonran**: Strong Chaos


	13. Ch12: Preparation

-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 12:

Preparation

"Get up, gaki, you're not hurt yet!"

Ume huffed and got back to her feet. Her right arm, dappled with senbon, hung lifelessly at her side.

After the end of the second test of the Chunin Exams, Ume had only managed to get one day of rest, before Anko had pulled her out for training. After hearing about Ume's encounters with some of the Genin in the forest, Sensei had come up with a bran new training regimen for her.

The Genin competing in the finals were more than likely going to fight dirty. So, Anko had felt it best to toughen Ume up in every way possible. Right now, Sensei was training her to still be able to fight, even when injured.

It was a good idea, but Anko had gone a step further than Ume felt was pleasant; Everyday, Anko would stick the acupoints of one of Ume's limbs with senbon needles, and then they would spar together. The senbon would keep Ume from using said limb, and she would have to learn to fight without it.

This of course made performing Jutsus difficult. It had been a week since they first started training, and Ume was still trying to figure out a way around this handicap. Sure, Ume could perform some Jutsus with one seal, but doing it one-handed was another story.

Coming back to the present, charged at Anko, clumsily lashing out with her left fist; she still wasn't used to relying on her none-dominant arm. Anko blocked her weak punches with ease, and with a quick sweep of the leg, sent Ume sprawling onto the ground again.

'Damn arm is making me unbalanced!' Ume growled to herself.

"Geeze, gaki, you really suck," mocked Anko, "If one of those Genin take out any one of your body parts, you pretty much screwed."

"Shut up! You think I don't know that?" growled Ume, "How the hell am I supposed to fight like this?! It's bad enough that I can't do Jutsu one-handed! I mean look at this!"

Ume picked up her right arm with her left then let it drop limply at her side, "What am I supposed to do with that?!"

"Quit your wining!" snapped Anko, "It will be good for you to be toughened up a bit, and as for doing Jutsu one-handed; I've already figured that one out."

"What?!" glared Ume, "and you didn't bother telling me this, because…?"

Anko scoffed, "Because you need to figure these things out yourself, gaki. I'm not going to hold your hand through this. If you want to be a Chunin bad enough, then work for it!"

Ume scowled, she _had_ been working for it. Ever since her Kekkei Genkai manifested, she had to claw her way up to were she was now. Ume knew all about being self-reliant. Life had _never_ been easy, especially for her and Naruto. The Uzumaki siblings had to pretty much survive on there own from the very beginning, relying only on each other.

Ume sighed, she missed her Ototo. This trip to Kusa was the longest the two siblings had ever been apart. They had always been together, since day one. Even after Ume had graduated, they still saw each other nearly everyday. But things were slowly starting to change.

'I hope Ototo is doing okay…' thought Ume.

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi gazed into his spying crystal, watching a young blonde-haired Jinchuriki cackle madly as he dashed through the village.

The aging Hokage sighed and massaged his forehead. Ever since Ume had left for the Chunin Exams in Kusagakure, young Naruto had gotten worse with his mischievous antics. Which, in turn, had caused Hiruzen's paperwork load to increase as well.

Hiruzen really couldn't blame the boy, though. He missed his sister, and this was his way of coping with it. But….

Hiruzen would be lying if he said that he didn't want the white-haired kunoichi to return soon… all of the paperwork that Naruto had been supplying him was becoming strenuous.

* * *

Ume sneezed. 'Somebody must be talking about me.'

The Konoha kunoichi was currently sitting on her bed at the hotel, not in the best of moods. Her right arm was still useless at her side, senbon sticking out in several places.

Anko had forbade Ume from removing until the end of the day, claiming that it would help her get used to it. The snake-mistress had left to find food, while Ume scowled down at her limp arm.

"This is your fault, you know?" Ume accused it.

She tried to flex her fingers, but they didn't so much as twitch. Growling in irritation, Ume used her left hand to curl the fingers on her right hand into a fist. Suddenly she stopped as an idea hit her.

'Wait.'

Using her left hand, Ume position the fingers of her right hand to perform the seal of the snake. She grinned happily at her discovery, and nearly kicked herself for not figuring it out sooner; Ume could still use Jutsus as long as she had one arm to help the other along if it was injured.

Ume's prankster side surfaced, and her grinned widened. She would just keep her little discovery under wraps until tomorrow. It would be fun to see Anko's face when Ume would pull a fast one on her sensei.

Ume snickered, 'Watch out, Psycho-sensei. Tomorrow I'm going to pay you back for all the times you pushed me in the dirt today.'

**A/N**: Quite a short chapter, I know. This is just a little filler before the Chunin Exam Finals that start in the next chapter. Remember, reviews make me want to write more and faster =^.^=


	14. Ch13: Danger in the Grass

**-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-**

**A/N**: Sorry it took so long, but here is chapter 13. School, work, and writers' block are not a good combination… -.-;

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 13:

Danger in the Grass

Ume was starting to regret that she ate breakfast this morning; she was close to choking it back up. The day of the Chunin Exam Finals was finally here. Anko-sensei had worked her half to death over the month's time before hand. She just prayed to Kami that it would be enough.

Ume was currently standing with the five other participating Genin, in the center of a large stadium. Hundreds of people filled the stands; mostly shinobi and dignitaries, all wanting to see the Chunin-hopefuls in action. Ume felt sick again.

The only kunoichi of the group of Genin glanced around the circular arena. The floor was made of dirt, while trees and vegetation grew around the outer ring of the arena, and small rock formations were planted randomly around the open area. Tall walls surrounded the ground floor to hold in any Jutsus the Genin might dish out. Ume had to admit, it was impressive. It was like a mini training ground.

A Kusa-nin with a distinguishing eye patch stepped in front of the Chunin-hopefuls, "Listen up, all of you."

All of the Genin snapped to attention; this was it.

"Welcome to the final stage of the Chunin Exams, "the Kusa-nin began, "The rules are simple: Two will fight until one unable to continue, forfeits, or dies. If I determine that a clear winner has already been decided, I will stop the match before anyone is killed.

But, there is no guarantee that I will stop the match in time. So, if you know that your opponent is too strong or that you can't continue, forfeit while you still can. Are there any questions before we begin?"

None of the Genin said anything, so the Kusa-nin continue, "Ok, everybody but Ganjo Daikonran and Goto Sakyu file to the upper level."

Ume followed the rest of the Genin up a flight of stairs to watch the awaiting match between the psycho Iwa-nin and the Genin from Suna. Anko, along with several other Jonin from other countries were already waiting a the top. Ume immediately walked over to stand next to her sensei.

Anko grinned and clapped Ume on the back, "Nervous, gaki?"

"I little," Ume admitted, not a little, but a lot.

"Ah, don't worry about it," Anko told her, "Just sit back and enjoy the show." She gestured towards the two Genin that were about to face off. Translation: Watch for any weaknesses that you can use to crush the guy if you fight him.

* * *

Ume wasn't completely surprised when Ganjo was declared the winner, or the by the brutality of his victory, for that matter. Ume had witnessed first-hand the Iwa-nin's sick pleasure of tormenting his opponents. The white-haired kunoichi swallowed; she had been praying that Ganjo would some how lose the match, but Ume knew she wasn't that lucky.

The next match was an Ame-nin vs. a Genin from Konoha that Ume didn't recognize. The fight was quite short and a bit embarrassing for the two fighters. The match was declared a double-knockout when the two Genin accidentally bumped heads hard enough to knock each other out.

Ume probably wouldn't have been a little embarrassed herself, if on of the fighting Genin had also been from Konoha. Things like that could make people believe that shinobi from a certain village were _all_ a bunch of klutzes.

Ume glanced over at the Kusa-nin that she was to fight soon. He was wearing a forest-green gi with a black shinobi sandals, and a black sash wrapped around his waist. His features were non-script, and he didn't seem to be carrying any weapons, other that what might be the standard kunai and shuriken holster.

The Kusa Genin didn't look like much, but Sensei had always told her not to let her guard down just because they enemy didn't look threatening. 'It's the quiet ones that you've got to watch out for', was what Anko had always said. 'Better safe, than sorry with kunai in your back', was another one of Sensei's favorite sayings.

After the Konoha and Ame Genin were carted away to the infirmary, the proctor called for the next two fighters, "The next match will be between Kashi Kudamono of Kusagakure, Ume Uzumaki of Konohagakure. Participants, report to center arena now."

Anko clapped Ume on the shoulder, "Well, gaki, this is it. Go show those old geezers sitting up top what you've got."

Ume couldn't help but grin, the nausea in her gut had finally turned to excitement, "You got, Sensei."

After walking down a flight of stairs, Ume found herself in the center of arena, facing Kashi, who stood only a few feet away. The proctor stood between and to the left of the two Genin.

He looked between the two of them, "Are the two of you ready?"

The Kusa-nin just nodded, and Ume grinned in anticipation.

"Ready and waiting," said Ume, cracking her knuckles.

The proctor raised his arm in the air, and the two Genin slid into fighting stances. It was time for business.

"Begin!" said the proctor, bringing his arm down and leaping out of the way of the fighters.

Ume wasted no time in launching a handful of shuriken at the Kusa-nin. The shuriken weren't really used as an attack, but rather as a test, to see how the target would respond. Sensei had always taught her to know what you're up against before rushing in.

Kashi made no move to dodge the incoming projectiles. He simply flicked his wrist and the shuriken sailed off course and clattered on the ground. What the?

The Genin smirked at Ume's confused expression, "What's the matter? Can your brain not comprehend what just happened?"

Ume glared, if weapons wouldn't work, then go with plan B. After flipping through a few hand seals, Ume took a deep breath, 'Suiton: Teppodama.'

Ume spat out three large balls of water, each flying like missiles, towards the Kusa Genin, 'Blow _these_ away, smart-ass!'

Once again, Kashi didn't dodge out of the way. Instead, he sucked in a deep breath and exhaled three white spheres of air. The two attacks collided and exploded into gusts of wind and splashes of water.

Ume swore, 'Well, that explains why shuriken won't work. The guy's a Futon user.'

Kashi's smirked widened, "Was that your best shot? Now let me show you mine."

* * *

Ume threw herself behind another boulder as a large blade of wind ripped up the ground where she had been standing seconds earlier.

'This is insane!'

Ever since her failed Teppodama, Ume had been dodging Kashi's Kaze no Yaiba for quite some time. The deadly wind blades could cut through solid rock, so no hiding place was safe for long.

'Damn it, I got think of something fast, before I'm turned into filleted Plum,' thought Ume, dodging from her rock shelter, as another wind blade crumbled it to dust.

Dodging behind one of the few remaining boulders that were still intact, Ume started to form a plan, 'I can't come at him from the sides or the air, I'd be cut ribbons. There's only one other way to attack…'

Moving her hands in the correct order of seals, Ume prepared her half-thrown-together plan.

* * *

"You won't be able to run forever, kunoichi!" Kashi called out to the white-haired Konoha-nin, "Come out and fight me!"

His demands were met, when three white-haired kunoichis appeared from behind the rocks and charged him head-on. He smirked, 'Foolish girl. With clones, or not, charging head on is an early funeral.'

Kashi inhaled deeply as the kunoichis drew closer, 'Futon: Shinkugyoku.'

Three white spheres of air shot from his mouth and headed for his opponents. Kashi wasn't sure which one was the real kunoichi, but with his wind attacks, he was bound to hit her sooner or later.

Kashi grinned when his attack struck all three white-haired girls at once, "Gotcha!"

But his grin soon faded away when he saw all that was left of the girls were three piles of crumbling dirt. 'All three were Earth Clones. Then where the heck did the real one go?'

He quickly used another wind blade to shred the boulder that the clones had appeared from, maybe the real kunoichi was still hiding there. When the dust cleared, there was no sign of the Konoha-nin. But, Kashi swore when he saw what she left behind.

In the remains of the boulder, he could see a decent-sized hole in the ground. 'Under the ground!'

Before Kashi could react, a blur of white exploded out of the ground in front of him. He quickly raised his arm to fire another Kaze no Yaiba, but was caught off guard when the kunoichi open her mouth and spat out a blob of a dark sticky substance right in his face.

Kashi yelled in surprised and lashed out of blindly with a prepared Kaze no Yaiba. He knew that he hit his target when he heard a yelp of pain. But his victory was cut short when something hard collided with his nose, and felt it crack.

Still unable to see, Kashi's back collided with the ground and he clasped his nose in pain; it was definitely broken. He then froze when felt cold metal pressed against his throat.

"Pinned ya," the kunoichi's voice sounded from somewhere near his head. 'Damn it.'

* * *

Ume remain crouched over the Kusa Genin's head, a kunai poised over his throat, so he was unable to move.

"Pinned ya," she couldn't help letting a little smugness entering her voice.

She used her free hand to keep pressure on her bleeding right shoulder, where Kashi's Kaze no Yaiba had clipped her. It was a good thing Ume used that last attack when she did, or she might have gotten a lot worse that a cut shoulder.

Ume blessed Psycho-sensei for trying to teach her the Doton: Doryuheki. 'Trying' being the key word. The particular Earth Jutsu had been a B-rank technique, and Ume simply couldn't make the stupid mud wall any taller than three feet. So, she improvised and used it to create her own Jutsu: the Doton: Teppodoro.

'If it's one thing Ototo and I are good at, it's improvising.'

Ume looked over at the proctor expectantly, "Yo, call it already!"

The eye-patched Kusa-nin looked studied the situation for a few more seconds, before raising his arm, "The winner of this match is Ume Uzumaki!"

Ume stood up and put away the kunai, as the crowd applauded the match. She couldn't keep the victorious grin off her face as she made her way back up to the second level of the arena.

When she reached the top of the stairs, Anko appeared and pulled her into a headlock, "Way to go Snowflake! That's one victory in the bag!"

"You know it!" grinned Ume, but winced when Anko's rough affection irritated her injured shoulder, "But, could you let me go? I'm kinda' bleeding here."

Anko let go of her head and looked at the cut, "Ah, it's not so bad! It barely broke the skin."

Ume scowled at her, "Says _you_." Anko's ratings on injuries tended to be a little different than ordinary people's, "I'm lucky he didn't take my arm off!"

"Yeah, yeah," she said, pulling out strip of white fabric from her trench coat pocket, "Don't be so whiny."

Ume winced when Anko looped the cloth under her arm and tied it off, to help stem the bleeding. Sensei wasn't always gentle when it came to medical treatment.

The Kusa proctor's voice then rang out from the center of the arena, "The final match between Ganjo Daikonran of Iwagakure and Ume Uzumaki of Konohagakure will begin after a twenty-minute intermission! Fighters, take the time to rest and plan for your next match!"

Ume looked over at the opposite side of the viewing plank, when her opponent stood. Ganjo was staring at her as well, his trademark sneer smeared across his face. Ume glared at him, but on the inside, she was shaking. She was not looking forward to this fight at all. Although, judging by his expression, it looked like the Iwa Genin was.

**A/N**: And that's round one of the Finals, hope you enjoyed it. _**Please**_ review! They make me want to update faster, also ideas for different story point are welcome, too! =^.^=

**Japanese/ Jutsu List**:

- **Suiton: Teppodama**: Water Release: Water Bullet

- **Futon**: Wind Release

- **Kaze no Yaiba**: Blade of Wind

- **Futon: Shinkugyoku**: Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere

- **Doton: Doryuheki**: Earth Release: Earth Style Wall

- **Doton: Teppodoro**: Earth Release: Mud Bullet


	15. Ch14: The Leaf vs the Rock

_-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-_

_**A/N:**__ *bows deeply* I' am so_ sorry I took so long to update, please forgive me! Any excuse is as good as another, so I won't try to give one. Anyway, here is Ch. 14. Please enjoy.

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 14:

The Leaf vs. the Rock

Twenty minutes went by far too quickly for Ume. When the proctor called for her and Ganjo to report to the center of the arena, Ume felt sick to her stomach again.

"Ready for this, Snowflake?" asked Anko.

Ume nodded, afraid to open her mouth incase her stomach contents decided to show themselves. 'Come on Ume, pull it together, girl. Don't lose your cool now.'

"Loosen up a bit, huh? Your fighting is going to suck if you're all stiff-jointed," remarked Anko.

"I'm trying," said Ume, taking deep breathes to try and calm herself. She steeled herself and started for the stairway.

"One more thing, gaki," Anko called to her, "You can take off the weights."

Ume paused for a moment then nodded, a slight smirk on her face "Right." She then continued on her way to the center of the ring.

Once there, the shinobi of leaf and rock faced each other, challenging each other with their cold glares and killing intent. It was time to finish off what had started in the forest of the second test.

The proctor looked between the two Genin, "The two of you know the rules, so I won't repeat them. Are you two ready?"

Ume loosened the straps that held her weights in place, ready to let them drop a moments notice, "As I'll ever be."

Ganjo just smirked in anticipation, no words were needed for him.

"Well, then-" the proctor raised his arm in the air, before bringing it back down and leaping away from the two Genin, "Begin!"

Ganjo wasted no time in making the first move. He pulled out his familiar curved knives and charged Ume head-on. The fight was on.

In one swift motion, Ume dropped the weights on her arms and legs, and used her new found strength and speed to put a good amount of distance between her and Ganjo. Flipping through the appropriate hand seals, Ume focused her Doton chakra for her first Jutsu ; 'Doton: Iwahebi Hakaiteki'.

Ganjo jumped clear over the stone serpent that exploded from the ground and swung at the white-haired kunoichi with a vengeance. Not wanting to be at the receiving end of the Iwa-nin's brute strength again, Ume used a simple Kawarimi to once again give herself some space.

Ume only had a rough idea of how she was going to fight this Genin, and it included staying more than an arm's reach away from him, and to keep moving as much as possible.

Once she was away from the charging Genin, Ume flipped through another array of seals. 'Doton: Teppodoro'. 

Ume belched out several large blobs of mud from her mouth, at the Iwa Genin. As Ganjo dodged the mud bullets, Ume let loose a handful of shuriken, hoping to get in a lucky hit.

She almost smiled when the shuriken struck Ganjo in the shoulder, but didn't when the Genin turned into a pile of rubble. 

'Earth Clone!'

Ume got a strange feeling of deja vu when Ganjo suddenly appeared at her side and slammed his fist into her cheek. After skidding along the ground, little blots of color swam in Ume's vision, making her too dizzy to get back up at the moment. 

'Damn it! I just got rid of the bruise from last time! Is this guy _trying_ to permanently damage my face?!' Ume grumbled to herself, as her vision slowly began to clear.

"Doton: Ganban Kyu!" Ganjo's voice rang out.

Ume startled out of her punch-drunk stupor when several large slabs of earth exploded out of the ground around her and quickly began to close in on her.

'Shit! The crazy's really trying to kill me!' thought Ume as she scrambled to make a hand seal.

The crowd in the stands watched in horror as the thick slabs of rock clamped down on the white-haired kunoichi; thinking that this was the first fatality of this Chunin Exam Finals. Ganjo smirked sadistically at his work.

* * *

Anko nearly vaulted herself over the railing and into the arena when the Iwa-nin's attack slammed down on her Genin. Screw the rules, she would kill the bastard for murdering her apprentice. 

But just as the proctor was about to call the match, Anko felt a slight chakra flare coming within the tone slabs. She new that chakra anywhere! Suddenly, an arm appeared out of the rock. Followed by the rest Konoha kunoichi, as she past strait through the rock as if it where made of water.

Anko laughed out loud, in relief; she had almost forgotten that she had taught Ume the 'Doton: Iwagakure no Jutsu'. And it was a good thing, too, because Snowflake would have been nothing but smushed plum if Anko hadn't.

"That' a girl! Now go kick his ass, Snowflake!"

* * *

Ume couldn't help but grin at the look on Ganjo's face when she escaped from getting crushed by his rock coffin. Her grin grew even wider when she heard Anko's shouts of encouragement. But the small victory was bittersweet, because Ume knew from her last encounter with Ganjo, she would not be able to pull off the same trick twice. 

Ganjo's shocked expression soon turned to one of annoyance. It would be best to end this fight quickly, and _hopefully_ with a bang to impress the foreign dignitaries. Wait… a bang… A new grin appeared on Ume's face; she had an idea. Quickly feeling around in her hip pouch, Ume counted ten explosive notes.

'That'll work. Plan engage,' Ume's hand curled around an item in her hip pouch as Ganjo took a step toward her, 'Step one:' 

In one swift moment, Ume tossed a smoke bomb between herself and the Iwa-nin, causing a thick cloud of smoke to cover the area. When the smoke cleared, Ganjo's eyes narrowed when there was no sign of the white-haired kunoichi.

Ganjo held his daggers at the ready, waiting for the girl to pop out of her hiding place. Two minutes passed, and there still wasn't any sign of the Konoha-nin.

"Come out and fight me already!" Ganjo called out to the invisible kunoichi.

A few more moments of silence when by before said kunoichi rose out of the ground like a weed, a few yards away from Ganjo. Both Genin faced each other, both waiting to see who would make the first move.

Ume gave a confident smirk and let her posture go into a relaxed stance; hands on her hips and her weight shifted to one leg.

"Why are you just standing there? Aren't you going to keep charging me like a drunken bull?" Ume asked mockingly. When Ganjo didn't move, Ume continued to speak.

"What's the matter, Rocky, you afraid to fight the big-bad kunoichi from Konoha?" Ume taunted, "Are those big knives of yours compensating for something?"

Ganjo gnashed his teeth at Ume's comment and a tic appeared on his forehead. Ume smirked at this and lazily beckoned him forward with her hand.

"Bring it one, Pebble-Brain."

Ganjo growled before charging the cocky kunoichi, daggers at the ready. She was _really_ pushing the wrong buttons with him.

Ume smirked, 'That's it, just a little closer…. Closer…. Now!'

The moment Ganjo was halfway between his original position and the white-haired kunoichi, Ume held her right hand in a one-handed seal of the ram.

"Kai!"

Ganjo's eyes widened in shock when the ground under his feet went up in a fiery explosion. Ume brought up her arms to shield herself from flying debris, as a cloud of dust came up to block everyone's view of the battle ground.

Ume coughed, 'I guess ten explosive notes was a little much. I really didn't want to kill him, just bring him down for the count.'

After Ume had thrown the smoke bomb, she had used the cover to go under ground with her Moguragakure no Jutsu. While there, she had set her explosive notes in random spots in a small area that would be between herself and Ganjo.

When the dust from the explosion dispersed, Ume looked around to pinpoint Ganjo, but there was absolutely no sign of the Iwa-nin.

"Holy cow! There's nothing left!" gagged Ume, "I didn't think ten explosive notes would do _that_."

There was a moment of silence in the arena; was the Iwa-Genin dead? Ume frowned; the proctor wasn't calling the match. Which meant… Ume's only warning was a slight tremor under her feet. Her eyes widened, and the Konoha kunoichi flew herself to her right, just as two familiar blades shot from the ground, followed by their owner. 

One of the blades managed to knick the side of her calve, but not badly, thanks to her non-weighted speed. Ume scolded herself for letting her guard down; it would have been too easy for the fight to end now.

But, Ume's bomb trap wasn't all for nothing. Ganjo was worse for wear; pieces of clothing had been burnt away, light burns covered his arms, and his hair was singed. But, the Iwa-nin was still alive and kicking.

"That was close. You nearly got me with your little mine field," said Ganjo, while he dusted himself off, "But…"

He looked up to glare daggers at the Konoha-nin, "But, now you have pissed me off!"

Ume backpedaled when Ganjo rushed her with even more speed then before. She just managed to pull out a kunai to block a strike from one of the Iwa-nin's daggers. The blow nearly caused Ume's arm to buckle.

'Hellfire, he's strong!' she winced, trying to get some space between the two of them, 'And he's faster than before.'

"Doton: Doryuso!" Ganjo voiced his attack, before letting loose a wave of deadly earth spikes.

Ume leaped away from the Jutsu's deadly path, but her already injured left leg slowed her down a margin. One of the stone spears slashed a deep cut on the back of her left calve, right above her first injury. Ume yelped in pain, and stumbled on her landing. 

She winced and hissed through her teeth when she put pressure on her heavily-bleeding leg, 'Damn it! Things just keep getting better and better.'

Seeing Ganjo come at her again, Ume flipped through a series of hand seals, 'Suiton: Mizurappa.'

Ganjo dodged the violent torrent of water and swung his blades at the kunoichi. Ume brought up two kunai, and the two Genin began to clash blade for blade.

The sound of clinking metal filled the stadium, and sparks flew between the two Genin, as dagger clashed against kunai. Ume gritted her teeth as she barely continued to hold her ground against Ganjo. The Iwa-nin's brute strength made Ume's arms shake with each blow, and her injured leg was slowing her down.

Ume ducked under a swing from one of Ganjo's daggers, sacrificing the a few hairs in the process. Side-stepping a downward thrust, Ume's right arm shot up, causing her kunai to draw a thin line of blood across the Iwa-nin's cheek. Ganjo snarled, and brought both daggers down on the kunoichi. 

Thinking fast, Ume used a Kawarimi to escape from the angered Iwa Genin. Retreating to the tree line around the edge of the arena, Ume hid with her back against a tree, trying to catch her breath.

'Damn it, I can't drag this out much longer' thought Ume, the blood loss and fatigue making her a bit woozy, 'I need to think of something to end this quick. Or else, I'm a sitting duck.'

Glancing around from her current hiding place, Ume's gaze fell on an inspiration. A decent-sized pool of water sat a few yards away, just inside the tree line.

'Why didn't I notice that before?!' Ume grumbled to herself, 'That could have _really_ come in handy earlier.'

She cautiously peeked out from behind the tree. Ganjo was still in the spot she had left him, near the center of the arena. His head swiveled in every direction, an angry grimace splashed across his face.

Ume glanced back at the pool of water and sighed heavily, 'Well, since I can't use Mokuton, I have one last Jutsu that might work…'

The technique Ume had in mind was a powerful Water Jutsu; A B-Rank Jutsu at that. Powerful enough to take down Rock-for-Brains. But there was a drawback to the technique: Not only did it take up a large amount of chakra, the user had to be near water to use it, _and_ the hand seals for the Jutsu were forty-four seals long.

'I have just enough chakra left for it' surmised Ume. But there was a seed of uncertainty in the back of her mind, 'But, if it doesn't work, I won't have any steam left to fight anymore….'

Making up her mind, Ume waited until Ganjo wasn't looking in her direction, before sprinting as fast as she could towards the pool. The Iwa-nin spotted her just as she reached the water and used her chakra to stand on its surface. Ume didn't waste any time in beginning the long string of hand seals as Ganjo charged towards her. 

' Ox, Monkey, Rabbit, Rat, Boar, Rooster, Ox, Horse, Rooster…'

Ganjo continued to close the distance between them.

'Rat, Tiger, Dog, Tiger, Snake, Ox, Ram, Snake, Boar…'

Ganjo's face twisted into a sneer, as he charged like a rhino towards her.

'Ram, Rat, Yang Water, Monkey, Rooster, Dragon, Rooster, Ox, Horse, Ram…'

Only a few yards stood between Ume and the bloodthirsty Iwa-nin.

'Tiger, Snake, Rat, Monkey, Rabbit, Boar, Dragon, Ram, Rat, Ox, Monkey…'

Three feet…

'Rooster, Yang Water, Rat, Boar…'

Ganjo raised one of his daggers, ready to bring it down on the white-haired kunoichi's skull…

'Rooster!'

"Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu!"

Not a moment to soon, the water around Ume rose up to take the form of a giant, powerful dragon, eyes glowing with yellow fury. Jaws open in a silent roar, the water dragon plowed headlong into the Iwa Genin, sending him crashing into the trees on the clear other side of the arena.

Panting heavily, Ume let the Jutsu die down. She barely made it to the edge of the pool, before dropping to her knees from exhaustion. Her chakra was now severely depleted and all of the blood lost from her injured leg was making her head spin badly.

'At least I managed to take down Pebble-Brain with me' thought Ume.

"Kunoichi!"

Ume's eyes snapped up at the furious voice. Her jaw dropped in horror, as Ganjo stumbled out of the trees, drenched from head to toe; bloodlust radiating off of him in waves.

'You have got to be ****ing me!' Ume's mind cried, 'How the hell can he still be standing after that?!'

Ume must not have had enough chakra left for that last attack to hit at full power. It was the only explanation for why the Iwa-nin wasn't out cold, and was not charging full speed at her.

Ume tried to rise to her feet, but the effort was wasted, and she fell face-first to the ground, her cheek pressed against the dirt. All of her strength was gone, but Ganjo still continued towards her, daggers in hand.

"Ume Uzumaki is unable to continue," announced the proctor. "Stand down, Genin," He commanded Ganjo.

Ganjo ignored him and closed the distance between himself and the fallen kunoichi, daggers raised to kill.

"Genin! Stand down!" shouted the proctor, rushing towards Ganjo to stop him.

The Iwa-nin once again ignored the Kusa-nin as he raised on of his blades to bring it down upon the white-haired kunoichi. Ume was completely helpless as the blade made its descent and her vision began to blur. Finally, Ume's mind faded into unconsciousness. 

* * *

A flurry of leaves and killing intent appeared suddenly between the raging Iwa-nin and the fallen Konoha kunoichi. Anko caught Ganjo's wrist and stopped his attack, as she stood between him and the white-haired Genin.

If looks could kill, Ganjo would be dead ten times over. Anko glared the Iwa-nin right in the eyes, as killing intent rolled off of her in waves.

"Take another step, and I'll nail that hand on my wall for a trophy," growled the snake mistress, "Not back off!"

Anko shoved the Genin back a few steps, and the two held a glaring contest. Ganjo was the first to avert his eyes, before limping away to exit the arena. After a moment of silence, the proctor spoke up.

"The winner of the final match is Ganjo Daikonran, of Iwagakure!" he announced to the crowd, "That concludes for this year's Chunin Exams. Thank you, and a wish you a safe journey home."

Once Ganjo was out of sight, Anko turned her attention back to her unconscious student; who was being placed onto a stretcher by a small group of medic-nin. The gaki looked like crap, that was for sure. But, she put on a hell of a show before going down.

'Going out with a bang, eh, snowflake?' Anko asked in her mind. The edge of her mouth twitched into a slight grin, 'Way to go, Snowflake. You did good.'

**A/N:** And that wraps up the Kusa Chunin Exams! (about time!) After this things will start going into the original Naruto timeline. I promise the next update will be much sooner. Reviews (more than one-two words plez), criticism, and ideas are welcome! =^.^=

**Japanese/ Jutsu List:**

- **Doton: Iwahebi Hakaiteki:** Earth Release: Destructive Rock Snake

- **Doton: Teppodoro:** Earth Release: Mud Bullet 

- **Doton: Ganban Kyu:** Earth Release: Bedrock Coffin

- **Doton: Iwagakure no Jutsu:** Earth Release: Hidden Among Rocks Technique

- **Kai:** Release

- **Moguragakure no Jutsu: **Hiding Like a Mole Technique

- **Doton: Doryuso:** Earth Release: Rising Stone Spears

- **Suiton: Mizurappa:** Water Release: Violent Water Wave

- **Kawarimi: **Replacement

- **Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu:** Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique


	16. Ch15: Homecoming Revelations

-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 15:

Homecoming Revelations

Ume groaned; her whole body ached, and she felt like her limbs were made of lead. As consciousness slowly started coming back to her, Ume became aware that she was on a bed, a very lumpy one at that, and that the constant buzz of florescent lights was grating on her nerves.

The white-haired kunoichi tilted her face away from the annoying lights and let her eyes crack open. Her vision was blurred for a few seconds, but slowly, her surroundings became clear to confirm her suspicions that she was in an infirmary. The sterilized-air smell should have been enough proof for _that_.

"Croak."

Ume's eyes swiveled to the open window, where a large orange toad perched. The two wordlessly stared at each other for a few seconds.

Ume blinked, "… Uh?"

The toad croaked again before turning and hopping out the window.

' What the…?'

"Hey, you're finally awake, Snowflake!"

Ume turned her head away from the window to stare up at her grinning sensei. Anko flopped herself lazily on the edge of Ume's bed and sighed.

"How ya' feeling, gaki?" she asked, crossing one leg over the other.

Ume winced when she tried to sit up, "Like I was attacked by you in one of your drunken rages."

Anko scowled and playfully punched the white-haired kunoichi in the shoulder, earning another wince from her student.

'It would seem sensei hasn't lost her sense of humor.'

"Very funny," snorted Anko, "But seriously, gaki, you've seen better days."

"I've _felt_ better, too," grumbled Ume, her face pulled into a disappointed scowl.

"What's with the face?" asked Anko, playfully shoving Ume's shoulder (once again causing her to wince, and making her want to smack her sensei), "You totally kicked ass! Be proud and smile a little bit, huh?"

Ume snorted, "Yeah; I manage to claw my way all the way to the finals, only to get kicked onto my face by a knife-loving crazy-person."

'… that description sounded a lot like sensei…'

"Ah, don't be like that, Snowflake!" said Anko, clapping Ume on the shoulder (causing Ume to glare at her), "You did awesome, especially for a first-timer. Hell, a lot of Genin don't even make it past the first round with their first go at the exams."

"I know, but still…" began Ume, looking down at her bed sheets "It was bad enough to get my butt kicked by Ganjo in the forest, but now _everybody _got to see it."

"So you lost, that's life. It happens to everyone," sighed Anko, "Besides, winning isn't the most important thing in these exams; its proving that you're Chunin material."

Ume didn't say anything.

"Besides, the final results for the exam won't be revealed for a few more days," continued the snake mistress, "And if you didn't make Chunin, there's always next year. I'll just have to run you harder before then."

Ume couldn't help but give a weak smile at Anko's words; There was always next year.

"When are we going home, anyway?" she asked, idly scratching her bandaged cheek.

"To-" Anko was cut off by the room door opening.

The kunoichi turned as two familiar Konoha-nin entered the room. Ume's brow creased; when was the last time she had actually _seen_ Kabuto and Misumi? After the second portion of the Chunin Exams, a month ago? During the time that Anko had trained Ume for the Finals, the two other Genin had seemed to have just disappeared. Ume had just been too distracted and nervous about the upcoming matches to have noticed, until now.

Kabuto smiled when his eyes landed on the snowy-haired kunoichi (While Misumi just scowled in the background), "Good afternoon. I'm glad to see that you are well, Ume-chan."

"Thanks, uh.. You, too," replied Ume, scratching the back of her neck; a habit she had picked up from Naruto. Why did this guy always have to make her feel uncomfortable?

"As I was _saying_…" Anko cut in, annoyed that she had been interrupted, "We'll all be leaving tomorrow morning. So, you had better rest up while you can, because I'm kicking all of you out of bed the moment the sun shows itself."

Ume pouted, 'Psycho-sensei has no sympathy…'

* * *

Naruto was absolutely miserable. Not only had he had to go without his Nee-chan for over a month now, but he had again just failed the Academy Graduation Test.

The usually cheerful blonde gloomily watched from his spot on an old swing as kids showed off their new Hitai-ites to their proud parents and other family members. Even the Hokage was amongst the crowd, offering his praise to the new graduates. Maybe it was good that Ume didn't make back today, Naruto felt too ashamed at the moment to face his Nee-chan now.

Amongst the happy words of the crowd, Naruto could make out hushed not-so-friendly comments directed at _him_.

"Hey, isn't that-?"

"Yeah, the only one who failed."

"Serves him right…"

"Can you imagine if they let someone _like_ that become a shinobi?"

"Yes, considering he's-"

"Shh! Its forbidden to speak of it!"

Naruto had had enough. He put his goggles back in their place on his forehead (Nee-chan's present…), and was about to get up and leave, when he heard a friendly voice.

"Naruto-kun."

Naruto looked up at the silver-haired Chunin smiling down at him.

"Mizuki-sensei."

* * *

"Slow down, Snowflake!" called Anko, "Konoha isn't going anywhere!"

Ume didn't answer her sensei and continued her brisk pace through the treetops, Anko, Kabuto, and Misumi trailing a few yards behind her. The white-haired kunoichi didn't want to slow down, she wanted to _speed up_.

"Snowflake!" Anko caught up with her as she continued her reckless pace, "Slow down. What's the rush?"

"I promised Ototo I would be there to see him graduate," said Ume, her eyes trained ahead.

"Gaki, I pretty sure you already missed it," said Anko, "The Academy Test usually takes place before lunchtime, and its nearly sunset."

Ume's only response was to speed up her already fast pace.

"Hey!" Anko called after her.

"An Uzumaki never breaks a promise!"

* * *

Night had fallen on Konohagakure. The civilians of the village had long since gone to bed, and all seemed peaceful. But it was soon broken, when a white blur came streaking through the main village gate and went bounding across the rooftops.

Ume had left Anko, Kabuto, Misumi, as well as two bewildered gate guards behind as she soared across the village rooftops. She didn't care; here only objective at the moment was to find Naruto and beg for forgiveness for not making it home in time for the Academy graduation.

She made it to the appartment complex in record time. Ume stuck to the wall of the building like a gecko and pushed open the window to her bedroom, not wanting to waste time in using the front door. Exiting her room, Ume stepped into the small living space that she and Naruto shared.

"Ototo?" she called into the darkness of their home. There was no answer.

Quietly, she opened the door to Naruto's room, "Ototo? I'm home."

This room was empty as well. Ume frowned, where was he? She then noticed that Naruto's bedroom window was open. Frowning again, Ume made her way over and stuck her head outside to look around, "Ototo?"

"Lets check over here!"

"He's got to be around here somewhere!"

Ume looked up to see Konoha shinobi leaping across the rooftops in a frenzy; they all seemed to be desperately searching for something…

'What's going on?'

Climbing out the window, Ume stood on the roof of the apartment to watch the shinobi continue to search for whatever it was they were looking for. Making up her mind, Ume raced towards the Hokage Tower.

'Maybe Jiji will tell me what's going on, and maybe he knows where Ototo is.'

It didn't take her long to get there, but the moment she reached the tower, she spotted the Hokage dismissing a large group of shinobi. Now Ume was really curious.

"Jiji, what's going on? Where's Ototo?" landing on the roof of the tower.

Hiruzen seemed a little surprised when Ume landed in front of him, but quickly hid it, "Ume-chan, it is good to see home again, but we are in the middle of an emergency at the moment."

"Is that why the shinobi are all over the place? What happened? Where is Ototo?" asked Ume.

"The ancient Scroll of Seals was stolen from the tower earlier this evening. The scroll contains numerous Kinjutsu, and it would be extremely dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands," said Hiruzen gravely, "As for your brother… I'm afraid _he_ was the one who stole the scroll."

"What?! Naruto wouldn't do something like that! There has to be some kind of misunderstanding!" argued Ume.

Sure, her Ototo liked to pull a good prank, Ume did, too, but stealing something that important just wasn't like him.

Hiruzen just shook his head solemnly, "Normally, I would agree with you. But, _I_ was the one who caught him in the act."

Ume glared and him with her fists clenched, what was Naruto thinking? Was this just a prank gone too far? Or, was this his reaction to her not making to graduation? Either way, it was Ume's job to straiten things out.

"Don't worry, Jiji, I'll find him. I'll get to the bottom of this," said Ume, before leaping off of the roof and into the night.

Hiruzen sighed heavily; he only hoped that Ume would find Naruto before the other shinobi did.

* * *

Ume had checked all of their usual hang-out spots; Ichiraku's Ramen Bar, the Hokage Monument, the playground… But, Naruto was nowhere to be found.

'Where are you, Ototo?' asked Ume in her head.

She stood perched at the top of a water tower, scanning around in hopes of seeing a spot of orange and gold. Ume stopped when her eyes stopped at the outer wall of the village. She watched as a silver-haired figure in a Chunin vest stealthy slipped over the high wall and into the forest beyond.

Ume frowned, 'He seems to know where he's going…'

Without hesitating, Ume took off in the direction that the Chunin had left and, just like him, vaulted over Konoha's outer wall and took off into the trees.

Ume pumped chakra into her legs as she bounded from branch to branch, hoping that she was still going in the same direction as the Chunin. She hadn't gone to far before she heard voices up ahead. The kunoichi came to a stop and stayed hidden in the leafy cover when she came to a small clearing; she assessed what was being played out before her:

There were three figures in the clearing; One was her runaway brother, with the Scroll of Seals strapped across his back, and noticeably lacking a hitai-ite (Ume felt saddened by this). The other two, Ume recognized as instructors that had taught Naruto's class at the academy: Iruka and Mizuki-sensei.

Ume wanted to rush down to her little brother, but something wasn't right. She then noticed that Iruka was injured, actually he was leaning against a tree with numerous kunai sticking out of him. Mizuki stood above them on a tree branch, a cruel smirk on his face. While Naruto stood looking between the two Chunin in clear confusion.

Ume heard Mizuki speak, "Naruto, give me the scroll."

"Don't let him have it Naruto! Protect that scroll with your life!" Iruka countered, "That scroll holds many powerful Jutsus and is more dangerous than you can imagine. Mizuki only wants it for himself!"

"Have you ever wondered why the villagers hate you like they do, Naruto?" asked Mizuki.

Ume frowned at Mizuki's question, 'What is this guy getting at…?'

"Shut up, Mizuki! Don't listen to him, Naruto!" shouted Iruka, pulling out a kunai from his leg.

Mizuki ignored him, "You know of when the Kyuubi no Yoko attacked the village twelve years ago, and that the Yondaime defeated it. This is a lie."

'What?!' continued to watch from her hiding spot, 'What does he mean a lie?!'

"The Demon was too strong for the Yondaime to defeat, so instead, he sealed it away in a human body," said Mizuki, "The Sandaime made a decree that nobody was to speak of it, under pain of death."

"What?! I don't remember any decree," said Naruto.

"You wouldn't," sneered Mizuki, "Because, part of the decree was that everybody was to know about it, but you."

"What?!"

'What?!'

"Do you want to know why?" asked Mizuki.

"Stop, Mizuki!" Iruka shouted again.

His plea went unheard as Mizuki gave a cruel grin, "It is because _you_ are Kyuubi no Yoko!"

Both Uzumaki siblings sat dumbfounded, 'Huh?!'

"That means, _you're_ the one who attacked the village!" continued Mizuki, "_You're_ the one who killed Iruka's parents, and everybody else that lost their life that day!"

"Mizuki!" Iruka's cries continued to go unheard.

"Didn't you it strange that you were despised everywhere you when?" sneered Mizuki, reaching for one of the giant shuriken strapped to his back, "If he was honest, even Iruka would admit he hates you! Even that so-called sister of yours! You'll never be accepted!"

Anger flared in Ume's heart as she listened to Mizuki's words, and when she saw tears well up in her little brother's eyes.

"But now, I will rid the village of your pathetic existents, and take that scroll from you!" with that, Mizuki sent a giant shuriken spinning directly at Naruto, who was still too shocked to move.

But, before the shuriken could hit its target, a white blur shout out from the trees and knocked the blonde Jinchuriki to the ground. Naruto and both of the Chunin stared dumbfounded; Ume hovered protectively over Naruto, the giant shuriken imbedded in her back.

Ume coughed and grimaced in pain; she could feel something warm dribbling down her chin.

"N-nee-chan?" stammered Naruto, "What are you…?"

"Sorry I'm late," Ume smiled weakly.

"Why did you-?" he began.

"Because I love you," said Ume, hot tears blurring her vision, "You're my Ototo, and nothing will change that. So, don't you listen to anything that bastard tells you."

With that, Ume collapsed to the side with pained grunt.

"Nee-chan!" cried Naruto.

'Damn it!' Ume winced, 'Damn grey-haired bastard!'

Iruka rushed over and knelt next to the siblings, and examined Ume's wound.

"Hmmph," huffed Mizuki, jumping down from the tree, "Damn, I was aiming for the demon, but I guess I'm not surprised that the little demon-lover would interfere. But thought you would do better, Iruka. Taking the side of your parents' murder? You know that demon is no better than me; it hungers for power and will use it for itself."

"…You're right, the demon would do that," said Iruka.

The Uzumaki siblings sat in horrified silence, was that Iruka-sensei's true feelings?

"The _demon_ would do that," continued Iruka, "But, _Naruto_ isn't the demon, he is my student and a citizen of Konohagakure, and wouldn't do that."

'Iruka-sensei…'

Mizuki frowned, "It looks like I'll have to kill you, too, Iruka. After all, I can't have any witnesses."

Suddenly, the silver-haired Chunin was sent flying by an orange blur. Naruto stood before the Chunin, fists trembling in anger.

"If you lay one finger on Ume-nee-chan or Iruka-sensei, I'll _kill_ you!" growled Naruto.

"Don't be stupid, Naruto!" said Iruka, after pulling out the shuriken from Ume's back, "You won't stand a chance against him!"

Mizuki grinned evilly, "Ha! You're welcome to try, demon. I'll finally kill you myself!"

Naruto glared and formed his fingers in an unfamiliar cross seal, "I'll defeat you with one attack. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

The clearing became covered in smoke, temporarily blinding all four shinobi. When the smoke cleared, the forest had turned orange and gold; hundreds of Naruto clones filled the forest. Ume, Iruka, and Mizuki could only gape in awe.

"What's the matter, tough guy?" asked one clone.

"I thought you were going to kill me?" asked another.

"Well, if _you_ won't attack, I guess _I_ will!"

All at once, the Naruto army swarmed Mizuki, and the sounds of the Chunin's screams filled the forest.

Fifteen minutes later, Naruto stood over a moaning and severely mangled Mizuki.

Naruto scratch the back of his neck sheepishly, "I guess I over did it a bit."

"Heh, you kicked ass, Ototo," grinned Ume from her spot against a tree.

Naruto suddenly turned and knelt down in front of her, "You ok, Nee-chan? Are you hurt bad?"

Ume smiled and shook her head, "I'm alright. It's just a scratch." 'A big one…'

Naruto sighed in relief, and Iruka smiled at the two of them.

"Naruto, come over here and close your eyes," said Iruka, "I've got a surprise for you."

Confused, Naruto did what he was told. Ume watch as Iruka took off his own hitai-ite and slid off Naruto's goggles from his forehead, only to tie the headband in their place.

"You can open your eyes now," said Iruka.

Naruto opened his eyes and looked at Iruka, "Sensei, where is your-?" His eyes widened when he felt his own forehead.

"Congratulations, Naruto," smiled Iruka, "You are now a shinobi of Konohagakure."

Naruto's bottom lip tremble before he threw himself at Iruka, hugging the Chunin around the middle, "Thank you, sensei! Thank you!"

He then turned to Ume, "Look, Nee-chan, look! I'm a shinobi now!"

Ume laughed, "It looks good on you, Ototo! And it looks like I kept my promise after all; I got back in time to see you graduate."

**A/N:** Phew! A super-long chapter! ^.^ I hope you enjoyed it. The results of the Chunin exams will be revealed in another chapter or two. Until then, reviews and ideas will be greatly appreciated! =^.^=

**Japanese/ Jutsu List:**

- **kun:** usually an affectionate suffix added to the names of boys

- **Kinjutsu:** Forbidden Techniques

- **Jiji: **Grandfather/ Grandpa

- **Kyuubi no Yoko:** Nine-tailed Demon Fox

- **Yondaime:** Fourth Hokage

- **Jinchuriki:** A demon host

- **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu:** Shadow Clone Technique


	17. Ch16: Leaves of Konoha

_-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-_

_**A/N:**__ I deeply apologize for the wait, please forgive me! I want to thank everyone for their reviews, they are what keep me going! =^.^=_

_**Disclaimer**__: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created._

_Chapter 16:_

_Leaves of Konoha_

"_Are you sure want me to take a picture of you looking like that?" asked the gruff photographer._

"_Yeah, yeah! Just take it already!" insisted Naruto._

_Ume watched the two in bemusement; today was the day that Naruto was to have his photo taken for his identification papers. Much to Ume's amusement and chagrin, rather than a standard pose, Naruto went all out and painted his face like that of a Kabuki theater actor. Ume had near begged Naruto to go with the standard photo pose, but Naruto stood fast with his decision and refused to wash the paint off his face. _

_The elderly photographer looked at Ume, but she just shrugged. When ever Naruto set his mind to something, there was little chance in changing his mind; best give him what he wants._

_The photographer sighed. "You'll be sorry," he grumbled, reluctantly snapping a picture of the blonde Jinchuriki as he posed dramatically and growled at the camera. _

_Ume smirked despite of herself and shook her head at her brother's antics, 'Just wait until Jiji gets a load of this.'_

_The Uzumaki siblings walked idly down the street, trying and failing to ignore the skullcap-scarf-wearing gaki that was attempting to sneakily follow them around the village. Ume glanced back over her shoulder as they walked and watched as the kid ducked behind a barrel, his too-long scarf giving away his hiding place._

_The whole incident had began earlier when Ume when with Naruto to turn in his new "artistic" ID papers to Jiji. But, as Ume had predicted, was not amused by her ototo's stunt and demanded that Naruto redo his photo._

_Naruto had thrown a fit at this and had even tried to persuade Jiji by doing that ridiculous Oiroke no Jutsu of his. It was safe to say that the only thing that accomplished was giving Jiji a bloody nose and Ume giving Naruto a bump on the head._

_It was then that the little gaki had barged into the room, demanding a fight from Jiji. But, the little snot just tripped over his own scarf and face planted himself into the floor. Ume had found it both sad and amusing at the same time. Not a few seconds after that, the gaki's tutor arrived and Ume knew right away that she didn't like him; He had those_ eyes, like the ones the villagers had.

After peeling himself off the floor, the little gaki pointed at Naruto and immediately accused him of tripping him. Of course Naruto didn't take kindly to this at all and snagged the little snot by the front of his too-long scarf.

The gaki's teacher spastically revealed that the gaki was actually Jiji's grandson and demanded that Naruto release him. This made Naruto hesitate, but the kid's mouth got in the way.

"What's the matter? I thought you were gonna hit me, tough guy," the gaki gloated, "You afraid because the Hokage's my grandfather?"

"I don't care if he's your grand_mother_," growled Naruto, slugging the gaki on top of his head, "So, believe it!"

Ume couldn't help but laugh at that when she followed her fuming ototo out of the tower afterwards. But what had caused the gaki to start shadowing them? Maybe he wanted to get back at Naruto for hitting him?

Naruto suddenly stopped and looked over his shoulder, the kid had stopped when they did and had throne a tarp over himself to disguise himself as a rock…. A rock with feet poking out of the bottom. Naruto grumbled and Ume stifled a giggle; the kid's sad attempt at shadowing were amusing.

The Uzumaki duo continued on their way, the sounds of soft pattering feet following behind them. By the scowl on his face, Ume could tell that her ototo wasn't happy about their little stalker.

Finally, Naruto growled and whipped around. The little gaki had flattened himself against a wooden fence and thrown a camouflage tarp over himself… his tiny feet and the top of his spiky brown hair sticking out from the edges of the tarp.

Naruto growled again and pointed at the tarp, "I know that you're following us, so just give it up!"

The kid didn't move from his hiding spot. Did he really think that he was invisible?

Naruto scowled, "That's so obvious, it's pathetic."

Finally, the kid dropped the tarp, "So you saw through my disguise, huh? The rumors about you were true, you're good!"

'Huh?'

"Alright, I'll be your apprentice, and you'll be my trainer!" declared the gaki.

"Huh?" Naruto was dumbfounded, clearly what ever had been expecting, this wasn't it. Ume didn't know what to think either.

"You've got to show me how to do that Oiroke no Jutsu thing that you used to defeat Ojii-chan!" said the Gaki.

Ume made a face at this, it was bad enough that Ototo used that so-called technique. All they needed now was for _two_ boys to go around transforming into naked girls.

Naruto looked suspiciously at the loudmouthed gaki, "This is some kinda' joke, isn't it?"

"No, I really need a new trainer," pleadingly insisted the gaki, "Pleeeease, Boss?"

"Eh, 'Boss' ?" Naruto seemed a little stunned at this.

"Yeah! You're the Boss!" declared the gaki.

"Well…" Naruto scratched the back of his head, a smile slowing building across his face, "How can I refuse?"

Ume walked a little bit behind the two boys as the three continued their walk through the village (It turns out the gaki's name was Konohamaru). As Naruto chattered on about "what it takes to be a shinobi", his new disciple was hanging on his every word.

The white-haired kunoichi couldn't help but smile at Naruto's antics. Naruto had never had someone look up to him before, and he was eating up the attention like a starving man. Ume couldn't really blame him. Sure, she didn't particularly approve of his vulgar Jutsu, but she could see that Naruto was really enjoying himself, and Ume didn't have the heart to stop him.

"You can blab all you want about shinobi techniques, but it all comes down to one thing," said Naruto.

"What's that?" asked Konohamaru, leaning forward in anticipation.

"Just plain hard work and guts," said Naruto.

"That's two things, Ototo," replied Ume.

"Aneki is right, but okay, I'm with ya!" said Konohamaru.

After Konohamaru had started calling Naruto "Boss", he also started calling Ume Aneki; Naruto wouldn't let him call her "Nee-chan", only _he_ could do that.

"Alright, then lets do it. I'm gonna throw some really tough challenges at you now. Are you ready?" asked Naruto, raising up a fist.

"I'm ready, Boss!"

"Good! Then lets get started, show me a Henge!" commanded Naruto.

"Huh?"

"Believe it. Show me what you can do, and I'll take you to the next level," Naruto insured him.

"Oh, um, alright, sure. But, what am I supposed to change into?" asked Konohamaru.

"Uh…Hmm," Naruto glanced around, looking for some inspiration. His eyes landed on Ume and he grinned, "Ah, I know! Transform into Nee-chan."

Ume raised an eyebrow at this, "What?"

"No problem! Here I go, Boss!" said Konohamaru excitedly, putting his hands together in the sign of the ram, "Henge!"

The gaki disappeared in a cloud of smoke. When the smoke cleared, the Uzumaki siblings found themselves staring at an obese version of Ume.

"Well, do I look like her?" the obese Ume asked in a deep voice.

The real Ume's eyes narrowed and a large tick formed over her eyebrow.

"…Uhh… Well, the _clothes_ kinda look like her…" Naruto hesitantly said.

A dangerous glint appeared in Ume's eyes and she growled threateningly. Cocking back her fist, Ume slugged the abomination in the back of the head, disabling the Jutsu in a puff of smoke.

"I don't look anything like that!" snarled the kunoichi.

The two boys cowered in fear of Ume's wrath.

"Sh-she's scary," Konohamaru trembled behind Naruto.

"H-hey, d-don't worry, Nee-chan!" Naruto held up his hands in defense, "He'll get it right. He just needs a little training, that's all!"

"Well, from now on, do use me as a model!" growled Ume.

"W-we promise, Nee-chan!" said Naruto, with Konohamaru quickly nodding in agreement, "There are plenty of other girls to look!"

Ume sighed heavily, "Fine. I'll be right back, I'm gonna go get some snacks. Don't get into any trouble while I'm gone, okay?"

"Don't worry, Nee-chan," reassured Naruto, "You've got nothing to worry about, believe it!"

'I don't believe it,' thought Ume, as she set out.

It took a bit longer than expected to retrieve the dango and drinks for herself and the boys. Ume had ended up running into Guy and his team, and it took her twenty minutes just to escape them. Naruto and Konohamaru weren't even in the spot she had left them.

Sighing, Ume took to the rooftops, carrying her treats, in search for the two troublemaking boys. She never noticed the pair of eyes watching her.

Ebisu Hiruko: Tokubetsu Jonin of Konohagakure, and specialist of private training of elite shinobi; and at the moment, trainer of the Honorable Grandson of the Hokage.

The shade-wearing shinobi scanned the village from his perch, searching for any signs of his wayward student and the fox demon that accompanied him. It was uncommon for the Honorable Grandson to disappear during training sessions, but run off to follow… _him_, Naruto Uzumaki, was intolerable.

Light flashed across Ebisu's shades; any little parasite that latched itself onto _his_ student would be squashed.

A flash of white caught Ebisu's attention. Upon closer inspection, the white turned out to be Uzumaki's bad-tempered sister hopping along the village rooftops. Ebisu smirked, the white-haired kunoichi would lead him right to the fox brat, which in turn would lead him to wherever the Honorable Grandson was.

With that, the Tokubetsu Jonin stealthily began to shadow the kunoichi at a safe distance.

Ume had to keep from laughing out loud. Did that shade-wearing baka really think that she didn't notice him following her? Ha! One of the number one things Anko-sensei taught her was to know when you're being followed.

'Alright, time to loose this loser,' Ume thought to herself, 'Let's see how good he is at catching snowflakes.'

"Ha! That was too easy!" laughed Ume as she walked leisurely towards the training field that Naruto's chakra signature was coming from.

It had only taken a few well paced Earth Clones, a Kawarimi, and a few Shunshin no Jutsu to lead the Specks on a wild goose chases through the village (while the real Ume escaped).

'That'll teach him to try and shadow Ume Uzumaki,' thought Ume.

As she got closer to Naruto's chakra signature, Ume began to make out voices coming up ahead. It didn't take long to identify them as her ototo and Konohamaru. Ume finally made to a clearing among the trees where said two boys were lounging on a log.

"There you two are," greeted Ume, "I didn't think I'd ever find you. The two of you didn't get into _too_ much trouble while I was gone, did ya?"

She tossed both boys a soda before joining them on their makeshift bench. Ume also noticed Naruto's roughed-up clothes and dirt smudges on his face.

"No way, Nee-chan! We were just training is all," grinned Naruto, "It's really going great, believe it!"

Ume didn't really believe that training was all that the two did, but she didn't voice her opinion out loud; best not spoil their fun.

"So… what's up with this obsession you've got with Jiji?" Naruto asked after a few moments of silence.

"….Ojii-chan named Konohamaru; after the name of the village," Konohamaru scowled softly, "So it should be easy to remember…"

"But, no one calls me _that_ name, not one person in the entire village," he continued, "'Cause when they look at me, they don't really see me. All they see is the Honorable Grandson of the Lord Hokage. Nobody knows who _I_' am.

I can't stand it anymore, it's like I'm invisible, like I don't exist. I hate that! That's why I have to become Hokage _now_, so people will know who I' am!"

Ume understood where Konohamaru was coming from with this, and she knew Naruto did too. To be seen as a _thing_ and not an actual person was something the Uzumaki siblings were all too familiar with.

"Get real! You think people are gonna accept a squirt like you?" scoffed Naruto, "A kid just can't turn into a Hokage after a day or two."

"What?!" snapped Konohamaru.

Ume mentally smacked her forehead, 'Even if he's right about that, Ototo never was one for tact.'

"It's not that simple," Naruto continued, "You keep saying "Hokage, Hokage". To _really_ be Hokage, you know what you'll have to do?"

"What? What is it?" asked Konohamaru.

Naruto grinned wickedly, "You're gonna have to beat _me_ in battle!"

The expression on the gaki's face after Naruto's declaration made Ume laugh, "I guess you weren't expecting that, huh?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood atop the roof of the Hokage Tower, staring up at the four giant faces carved into the mountainside. The images of his predecessors and late successor starred solemnly over the village; it was always an impressive sight to the aging Hokage.

Looking at the carving of Minato, Hiruzen couldn't help but reminisce about the past few years…

"Hokage-sama!" Hiruzen recognized the voice of one of Naruto's academy teachers, Iruka Umino, "I've been looking for you."

"For what purpose?" Hiruzen asked, without turning to look at the Chunin.

"It's about Naruto," said Iruka, "Did he resubmit his shinobi I.D. photo?"

Hiruzen "hmmm'd" an affirmative. It had been a battle of wits, but Naruto had finally given into the Hokage's demands and retaken the photo. This time without any ridiculous face paint.

"You know, I gave him a big lecture the other night at the ramen shop," continued Iruka, "But he's still beaming because he became a Genin. He thinks that will change things; he thinks people will stop looking down on him now."

Hiruzen was stayed silent for a moment as he stared at the stone face of his late successor, "… I fear his dream will not come true. People don't change that easily."

"Huh?" questioned Iruka.

"The Kyuubi no Yoko is within him," replied Hiruzen, "Not everyone knows that of course only Naruto's sister and those who fought the beast know the truth. I made a decree that nobody was to speak of this; even those who whispered it were severely punished, so that the children of today would not make the connection between Naruto and the beast that ravaged our village and nearly destroyed us all.

As long as the children are unaware of this, Naruto has some hope of being accepted. That was the wish of the Yondaime. Before he sacrificed himself to save us, he asked that Naruto be revered as a hero."

"A hero?" asked Iruka.

The night of the sealing past through Hiruzen's mind, "The Yondaime defeated the demon by sealing it inside a newborn's body, who's umbilical cord had just been cut. By containing the spirit of the demon in his tiny body, Naruto saved the village. That's why he's a hero.

Iruka was silent through the Hokage's entire speech.

Hiruzen sighed before continuing, "Unfortunately, the people of the village don't understand this. People are driven by fear, many people believe the demon could take over Naruto's body. Some believe he is the beast now, and the children feel their fear and hatred, and they turn against Naruto as well."

The Hokage's eyes shifted to the carvings of the Shodai Hokage, Hashirama Senju, "But, Naruto isn't the only one who suffers because of this. Because she defends him and tries to support her brother in any way she can, Ume also feels the villagers' hate; they hate her for loving Naruto and fear her because they feel that Naruto has somehow corrupted Ume.

Because of this, Ume grows very bitter towards the village. To her, Naruto is the most important thing in this world, and she will do anything to see him happy. But as I said before, people do not change easily."

"…" Iruka didn't know how to comment. Of course he saw how the Uzumaki siblings were treated, who didn't?

For a time he, himself, had felt the same way that the villagers did. But, as Iruka slowly got to know Naruto and Ume, he saw, not demons, but children desperately wanting to be accepted and loved by others.

"Do you know what the ancients said about such things, Iruka?" asked the Hokage.

"What's that, sir?"

"When the people reject someone's very existence, and look at that person, their eyes become cold," replied Hiruzen, "Cold as an ice storm in the deepest winter."

"I've finally found you!"

Ume, Naruto, and Konohamaru whirled around to find Ebisu standing on a tree branch overhead.

"Damn it, I thought I lost him," grumbled Ume.

Ebisu looked down his nose and shot his glare strait at Naruto. The only thing the Tokubetsu Jonin could think when he looked at the boy was, 'the Kyuubi no Yoko'.

Naruto cringed under Ebisu's gaze, '_Those_ eyes; they all look at me that way!'

Ume saw the instructor's eyes as well and growled, shifting herself so that she was closer to Naruto; ready to defend her ototo at a second's notice.

Ebisu jumped from the tree and landed lightly on the ground, before turning his attention to Konohamaru, "So, Honorable Grandson, time to go home."

"No way!" cried Konohamaru, "I'm learning to beat Ojii-chan so I can get the title, Hokage! Now, _don't_ get in my way!"

Ebisu scoffed and began to walk towards them, "A Hokage is more than just a fighter. He must have virtue, honor, wisdom, and he must be skilled in a thousand Jutsu. You don't even know _one_ Jutsu."

Konohamaru growled and clapped his hands together in the sign of the ram, "Oiroke no Jutsu!"

Ebisu stopped his advance when the boy disappeared in a cloud of smoke, only to reveal a nude, brunette woman, "Hi there. Like my new Jutsu?"

Ume couldn't help but laugh out loud at the Tokubetsu Jonin's drop-jaw expression; it was priceless!

Konohamaru poofed back to normal with a confused scowl on his face, "Hey, he's not defeated!"

"Wha-what kind of scandalous technique is that?!" demanded Ebisu, once he found his voice, "Such tasteless vulgarity could never influence me! I' am far above it!"

Ume frowned and Naruto growled when Ebisu began trying to drag Konohamaru away by his scarf. That was _their_ gaki!

"Honorable Grandson, stop this, right now!" Ebisu struggled to get the kid to come with him, "Naruto is turning you into a delinquent! _My_ special training can put you on the fast track in becoming the Hokage."

"Just leave me alone!" snapped Konohamaru, pulling against Ebisu's grip.

Naruto apparently had had enough, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Ume watched as three dozen Naruto's circled Ebisu and an awed Konohamaru. Ume really wanted to bash the Jonin herself, but she knew that this was something Ototo had to do by himself. _He_ had to stick up for his new friend and student.

Ebisu scoffed and adjusted his shades, "Hmph, I'm not impressed. I'm a Tokubetsu Jonin, an elite warrior, not some light-weight like Mizuki."

"Come on, Boss!" said Konohamaru.

All of the Naruto's disappeared in a mass cloud of smoke to reveal an army of naked blonde women. The girls then proceeded throw themselves at and cling to the flabbergasted Jonin. Not seconds later, Ebisu flew backwards a blood gushed out of his nose like a rocket, and landed twitching on the ground.

Ume made a face, 'Wow… that was really, really sad… and disturbing.'

All of the girls disappeared, leaving the real Naruto with a foxy grin on his face, "Gotcha', with my Haremu no Jutsu!"

'Great, now he's got another pervy Jutsu to throw around,' Ume groaned to herself.

"Aww, man! I couldn't even beat that snobby sensei of mine!" whined Konohamaru, "I wanna be Hokage so bad, but I keep messing up! Why can't I do it?!"

"You really think it's that easy?" asked Naruto, "To be Hokage, you have to be the greatest of all shinobi. You have to prove yourself, so that everyone believes in you."

Ume noticed that Naruto sound more like he was talking more about himself than Konohamaru.

"Look at me," Naruto pointed at himself, "I've been picked on, pushed away, and avoided like I have the plague. But even with all that, I still found people who believe in me! So you better make sure that you're ready."

"For what?" asked Konohamaru.

"For lots of sweat, blood, and tears when your training to be a shinobi," said Ume.

Naruto nodded and grinned, "By the way, there is no easy way to become Hokage, believe it."

Konohamaru stared at Naruto before scowling, "Ha! Who do you think you are, giving me a lecture like that? That's it, I'm not going to be your apprentice any more."

Ume frowned and Naruto looked downtrodden by this.

"From now on, we're rivals," finished Konohamaru with a grin.

Naruto smiled a true smile at this, "Well, you'd better be ready, because someday we'll fight for the title, Hokage… Konohamaru."

This was the first that Naruto had actually called Konohamaru by his name, and he couldn't have looked happier.

To put the icing on the cake, Ume called for the boys' attention, "Hey guys! Hansamu no Jutsu!"

"Whoa!"

"Alright, Ume-nee-chan!"

**AN:** For those who want to see Ume's Hansamu no Jutsu, click on the photo bucket link on my home page. Please review! =^.^=

**Japanese/ Jutsu List:**

- **Kabuki:** an actor that plays both male and female parts

**- Oiroke no Jutsu:** Sexy Technique

- **Ojii-chan:** Grandpa

- **Aneki:** elder sister/ a popular way to say it in yakuza (gangster) terms

- **Henge:** Transformation

- **Baka:** idiot; fool

- **Haremu no Jutsu:** Harem Technique

- **Hansamu no Jutsu:** Handsome Technique


	18. Ch17: Promotions

**-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-**

**A/N:** chapter 17 is here, sorry for the wait! Now that Final Exams are over, updates should come a lot quicker now. **Check out my poll on my homepage, **it's very important about events in future chapters of the story.

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 17:

Promotions

"Alright, I have to head out now, Ototo. But good luck with the team placement," Ume ruffled Naruto's hair, as they stood outside the academy.

Naruto just grinned up at her, "No worries, Nee-chan! You watch, I'll get the best team there is! And they better put Sakura-chan on my team, and kick Sasuke-teme to the curb, believe it!"

Ume forced smiled; she could never understand why Ototo liked that pink-haired girl so much. She was an annoyingly violent bitch for no reason, her reasons for worshiping the Uchiha boy were completely unfounded, and she's as flat as an eight-year-old boy. If anyone asked Ume, Ototo could find someone _so_ much better than Sakura Haruno….. But Naruto was dead-set on going on a date with her…. Oh, well.

Suddenly, a hawk-masked ANBU appeared next to the siblings, making both of them jump in surprise.

"Ume Uzumaki, Hokage-sama has requested your presents," the ANBU said in an emotionless voice.

"Oh, alright," said Ume before turning back to Naruto, "I gotta go, I'll see you at dinner, kay?"

"Okay," said Naruto, "See ya, Ume-nee-chan!"

With that, Ume followed the stoic ANBU to the Hokage Tower, hopping along rooftops the entire way. Once they arrived, Ume was immediately admitted into the Hokage's office, where Jiji and Anko-sensei stood waiting for her.

Ume blinked and hesitated when she saw the wide grin her psycho-sensei was sporting. What was going on?

"Yo, Snowflake, you're late!" greeted Anko enthusiastically.

Ume scowled at her sensei, "I' am not! You were probably just early again!"

Anko swatted at her, "Shad up! I'm the sensei, so _I'm_ the one who's always right."

"You're not right in the _head_," sneered Ume.

"Why, you-!"

Hiruzen cleared his throat to get the two bickering kunoichi back on topic, "I'm sorry to break this up, but I have called both of you here for a reason."

Anko released Ume from a headlock and Ume straitened her ruffled hair and shirt, before both of them stood at attention. The strange grin reappeared on Anko's face, and glanced at her in suspicion.

"So, what's up, Jiji?" asked Ume.

The aging Hokage gave her a slight smile, "I have just finished informing Anko-san, here, that the results of the last Chunin Exams have been evaluated."

Ume's brow furrowed in confusion and she tilted her head to the side, "Okay…"

Hiruzen smiled again, before reaching into one of his desk drawers. After a moment, he pulled out a thick green vest and tossed it to Ume, who caught it reflexively.

"Congratulations, Ume-chan," said Hiruzen, "You are how a Chunin on Konohagakure."

Ume stood gaping at the Chunin vest in her grasp, "…Chunin? Really?" A large grin slowly stretched across her face.

"Don't just stand there, smiling like an idiot, Snowflake, put it on!"

Anko snagged the vest from Ume and proceeded force it onto her squawking student. After a few moments of scuffling, Ume stood before Anko and Hiruzen clad in her zipped up green vest.

Ume flexed her arms. "It's heavy," she said in a surprised voice.

Anko laughed, "Don't worry, you'll get used to it. It looks good on ya, Snowflake."

Hiruzen nodded in agreement, "Indeed. Take advantage of today and rest, Ume-chan. You will begin your new duties tomorrow."

"Sure thing, Jiji!" beamed Ume.

"Don't think you're going to be lazing around all day, gaki, you're coming with me!" said Anko, snagging Ume by the back of her vest and dragging her out the door (Ume complaining the entire way).

Hiruzen chuckled and shook his head at their antics; Ume reminded Hiruzen so much of his old students. The young kunoichi definitely took after her mother the most, both in looks and in personality. But there were a few habits and mannerisms that definitely came from Ume's father, such as being very laidback during day-to-day life, but deadly serious during a fight or a mission.

Hiruzen sighed and glanced out the window, although he had not seen Jiraiya in person for quite some time, he did manage to keep in contact with the Toad Sage through scrolls and messenger toads. But, Hiruzen had lost all contact with Tsunade; the last he had heard from the medic kunoichi was when she had left Ume in the village all those years ago.

Jiraiya had insured him that he sent Tsunade reports on Ume via messenger toad. But, the Hokage couldn't help but worry that Tsunade would never return to her child.

Ume felt a sense of déjà vu when Anko dropped her in front of the gates of the Forest of Death. Oh, no.

"What the hell, sensei? I just made Chunin, what the heck did I do to earn this punishment?" griped Ume, dusting herself off.

"What do you mean, "punishment"?" asked Anko, feigning surprise, "This is a _reward_."

"How is 'Catch the Snowflake' a reward?" grumbled Ume.

Anko scoffed, "For your information, gaki, we're not playing 'Catch the Snowflake'."

"Then why are we here," asked Ume, crossing her arms.

"We're going to play a _new_ game," grinned Anko, "I call it "Snare the Serpent"."

Ume scowled at her, "I' am _not_ chasing one of your summons threw there."

Anko smacked Ume upside her head, "You dope! Do I have to spell it out for you? _You _will be chasing _me_."

"….." Ume blinked once. Twice. A toothy grin stretched across her face, "Really? I finally get to chase _you_ for once? This is the best gift ever!"

"Yeah, yeah, quit smiling like an idiot. Your face is going to split in two," snorted Anko, "Besides, this is just a one-time deal, so don't get used to it."

This didn't hindered Ume's good mood, or the wide smile on her face.

'Revenge!'

Both kunoichi sat gasping for breath inside the gates of the Forest of Death. The game "Snag the Serpent" turned out to be harder than Ume had expected. The rules had been similar to "Catch the Snowflake", but it turned out that Anko was even harder to catch than escape from.

It had taken a full hour, plus the use of her Mokuton, for Ume to catch her slippery sensei. But, even though the game was a tough workout, it was nice to be the hunter and not the _hunted_ for a change.

"Not bad, Snowflake," panted Anko, "But you didn't beat my record time."

Ume just huffed in response, she didn't really care, but she wasn't going to tell sensei that.

"Either way, tonight we're going to this barbeque joint I hear is good," informed Anko, "You can bring along that little gaki of yours, too. I'll even pay."

"Why?" asked Ume suspiciously.

"Because, silly, making Chunin is something to celebrate!" said Anko matter-of-factly.

"Admit it, sensei, you just want a chance to brag to everyone that 'your only apprentice made it to Chunin on her first try through the Exams'," scoffed Ume, "I know you better than that."

Ume ducked when Anko took a swing at her head. "So disrespectful to your sensei. See if I do anything else for you anymore, ungrateful punk! Maybe I should get a real student, one that shows me the respect I deserve!"

"I love you, too, sensei."

After grabbing a quick bite to eat, Ume and Anko bumped into Naruto, who had just finished meeting his new team and sensei. Also, Naruto was completely blown out of the water at the news of Ume becoming a Chunin.

"No fair, Ume-nee-chan! How come you get to be a Chunin, while I just made Genin? And what's up with this stupid "real" Genin Test I gotta take? You never told me about that!"

"Sure I did, Ototo," said Ume, as the three of them walked down the street, "Remember, I had to take one with Psycho-sensei, too."

Naruto crossed his arms and pouted, "This stinks. Not only did I get Sasuke-teme on my team, and get a sensei that was three hours late, but now I have to take another stupid test!"

Anko laughed, "I still can't believe you got Kakashi for a sensei! That's rich!"

"Yeah, Ototo, you got the sensei who will always be late, and I've got the one who is always early!" grinned Ume.

"Shad up!" snapped Anko. She had always got embarrassed about her annoying habit of being early to everything, and not realizing it until she made her usual loud entrance.

Naruto suddenly rounded on Ume, giving her the biggest pair of puppy eyes she had ever seen, "Ume-nee-chan, you _have_ to help me train for tomorrow! I just got my hitai-ite, I can give it up now! Not after all the work I had to go through to get it, believe it!"

Ume couldn't say no even if she wanted to; There was something about those big blue eyes that made it impossible to say know to the little blonde fishcake.

Ume smiled before turning to Anko, "Sensei, could we do a rain check on the whole barbeque celebration thing?"

Anko pretended to think about before waving the two away, "Ah, get out of here you two. Besides, if Fishcake over here actually graduates, then that means we'll have to have an even bigger party!"

"Alright! You're the best, Psycho-sensei! Believe it!"

"Stop calling me that!"

"So, what exactly did Kakashi tell you about this test?" Ume asked Naruto as they arrived at their secret training area.

The two siblings had accidentally stumbled upon the sight while exploring an abandoned section of the village. It was the perfect place to train away from any prying eyes. Or, just a place for the two to get away from the cold eyes of the villagers.

"Nothin' much," said Naruto, crossing his arms and plopping himself down on the ground, "Just to go to training ground 7 at 8:00am, and to not eat breakfast!"

"Bah! Of course you're gonna eat breakfast," said Ume, flopping down next to him, "If you don't, you won't have the energy you'll need to perform at your best."

"But, he said-" began Naruto.

Ume just waved him off, "He probably just told you that to mess with ya. Besides, how is _he_ going to know if you ate breakfast or not?"

"Good point," said Naruto, nodding his head and trying to look serious. He failed miserably at it.

Ume laughed at his expression and ruffled his hair affectionately, "Don't look so serious, Ototo, it doesn't suit you."

Naruto put on his trademark foxy grin, "But, come on, Nee-chan, how am I gonna pass the test tomorrow? What's gonna happen, huh?"

"Well, to tell the truth, I haven't a clue," said Ume sheepishly, "Sensei says that every test is different, depending on the Jonin and what they look for in a team. Like when Psycho-sensei tested me, she was looking for commitment and potential… But then again, I didn't do the test with teammates, either, so the terms could be different."

Naruto growled in frustration, "Argh! That doesn't help at all! I say I just go and wing it, I can handle anything that crazy-haired sensei can dish out. Believe it!"

Ume sighed; typical Naruto. "You _can't_ just wing it, not with this. It's just a hunch, but your test will probably have something to do with teamwork. After all, that's what Tora-sensei always says is important."

"Enough of this!" shouted Naruto, jumping to his feet, "Let's just train already!"

Ume rolled her eyes and stood up, "Alright, alright. Let's warm up with a little taijutsu first."

Thanks to the academy instructors' neglectful teachings and his inpatients to learn precise stances, Naruto's taijutsu had always been average at best. It wasn't until after Ume met Might Guy, that the two siblings began to make up their own taijutsu style to make up for it.

They affectionately dubbed it "Uzumaki Style" and it was _the_ style of improvising. It was a very street fighter/ brawler-like style that only worker affectively if you were good at thinking on your feet and improvising tactics in the middle of a close-range fight. And Naruto was the king of improvising; the style was perfect for him.

Uzumaki Style was also great in tag-team situations. When fighting together, Ume and Naruto could bounce off of each other and take down an enemy with nothing but sheer randomness in their attacks. Coming up with knew fighting combos was something the siblings found as an enjoyable training pastime.

The Uzumaki siblings faced off, each shifting into their usual low stance. As per usual, Naruto was the first to attack.

Letting out a loud battle cry, Naruto charged his sister, a fist aimed strait at her head. Ume block his hit with one hand and held onto his fist, while delivering her own punch. Naruto block with his free hand, also holding onto her fist, and the two siblings stood in a stalemate.

Using her superior height and weight, Ume leaned backwards, pulling Naruto with her. Using the momentum, Ume flung him over her head, attempting to slam his back into the ground.

But, right before he hit the ground, Naruto bent his legs and used his feet to stop his descent. The Uzumaki siblings were once again locked in a stalemate. Only this time they stared at each other upside down in a comical two-person backbend. Ume and Naruto grinned at each other, it was things like this that made the Uzumaki Style fun and unpredictable.

Suddenly, Naruto used chakra to anchor his feet to the ground, before using the same trick Ume had pulled and flung his sister overhead; using the momentum to bring himself upright.

Flipping in midair, Ume managed to land on her feet before running back the way she came, towards the grinning fishcake. Crouching low, Ume swung with her leg, trying to knock Naruto's legs out from under him.

Naruto jumped over Ume's kick and tried to drop kick her as he came back down. Ume grabbed his leg and swung him around twice before throwing him at one of the trees that grew in the area. Using his chakra, Naruto landed on the tree's trunk on all fours and stuck to its surface like a gecko.

In seconds, Ume was upon him, fist cocked back, ready to knock him off of his perch. Ume's fist connected with the tree, as Naruto leaped away at the very last second, leaving a gaping hole in the bark. Naruto corkscrewed through the air and land a couple yards away.

Removing her fist from the tree's bark, Ume turned to where her brother was standing, grinning like an idiot, "What do you say we turn things up a notch, eh, Ototo?"

"Now you're taking, Nee-chan!" cheered Naruto, crossing his index and middle fingers, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Five more Narutos poofed into existence around the original.

Ume smirked and weaved her hands through the seals: Horse, Dog, Snake; Moku Bunshin no Jutsu. Three large brown blobs melted off of Ume's body and morphed into three identical figures of the white-haired kunoichi.

After a few seconds of silence, the two mini armies of white and gold charged each other head-on.

Three of Naruto's Shadow Clones ganged up on one of Ume's Wood Clones and proceeded to pummel it into the ground. Because of the Wood Clone's durability, it took longer than it would have for any other type of clone. At the same time, a Wood Clone grabbed two of the Naruto's and slammed them together with such force, that they dispelled instantly in a puff of smoke. The original Naruto took out that Wood Clone afterwards with a hail of shuriken.

After the brief scuffle, the two remaining Ume's and the four remaining Naruto's stood apart, waiting to see what the other side would do first. Ume made the first move by clapping her hands together into the seal of the snake; Mokuton: Ansatsu no Ne!

Five thick jagged roots exploded from the ground where the four Narutos stood. Caught off guard, all of the orange fishcakes exploded into puffs of smoke as the roots crushed them from different directions. Ume blinked in surprise, if all of those were Shadow Clones, then where was the _real_ Naruto?

A slight tremor under her feet was the only warning Ume got when said blonde Jinchuriki burst out of the ground and grabbed Ume's remaining Wood Clone, before slamming it head-first into the ground. The force of the blow sent the clone back to its basic form. Naruto then jump at Ume and the two grabbed each others arms, both trying to overpower the other with raw strength alone.

"Not bad, Ototo, it looks like you've finally got the hang of the Moguragakure no Jutsu," complemented Ume.

"Ha, I told ya I'd master it!" grinned Naruto.

"Yeah, well, tell me what you think about my _new_ technique," smirked Ume.

"Bring it one," said Naruto, "I can take anything you can dish out, believe it!"

"Oh-ho, tough guy! We'll see about that," grinned Ume.

She suddenly pulled a startled Naruto towards her and captured him in a headlock. She then began to assault his scalp with her fist, "Noogie no Jutsu!"

"Aaaaahhhhh! No, Nee-chan, I give, I give! You're gonna set my hair on fire!"

"Hahahahahaha!"

**A/N: **Well, that's chapter 17! Remember: reviews and ideas are always welcome end really help my muse when writing, and don't forget to check out my poll! =^.^=

**Japanese/ Jutsu List:**

**- teme:** a word that is essentially a rude way of saying "YOU!" as in "You

bastard!"

**- Kage Bunshin no Jutsu:** Shadow Clone Technique

**- Moku Bunshin no Jutsu:** Wood Clone Technique

**- Mokuton: Ansatsu no Ne:** Wood Release: Assassin Root

**- Moguragakure no Jutsu:** Hiding Like a Mole Technique


	19. Ch18: Test: Part 1

-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-

**A/N: **A double update! It was originally going to be only one chapter, but it ended up being so long, I cut it in two. By the way, I fixed my poll, so actually shows up on my home page -.-; (sorry about that) so everyone PLEASE check it out.

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 18:

Test: Part 1

Early the next morning, Naruto was a nervous bundle of energy, and it took everything Ume had to get him to sit still long enough to eat a healthy breakfast. Even though Naruto's sensei had told them not to eat anything before the test, his sister wouldn't hear of it, and wouldn't let him leave the house with out putting something in his stomach.

"Before you head out, Ototo, take this with you," said Ume. She tossed him a kunai with a green ribbon tied to the ringed end of the handle, "It's my lucky kunai. Maybe it will help you out."

"Thanks, Ume-nee-chan!" said Naruto, storing the kunai into his holster, "You watch, I'll ace this test easy, believe it!"

Ume smiled and ruffled his hair, "You can tell me all about it afterwards, but right now, you'd better get going. Being late on your first day is the _last_ thing you'll wanna do."

"Your right. See ya later, Nee-chan!" Waved Naruto, taking off towards Training Ground 7.

Ume waved back and went on her way to meet up with her _own_ sensei, 'I hope Sensei's in a good mood today.'

Ume found Anko at their usual meeting spot in front of Training Ground 44. To Ume's surprise (and relief), Anko informed her that they wouldn't be training in the forest today.

"We're gonna train with Guy and his team today," said Anko, as the two of them made their way towards one of the other training grounds, "You need to get into the habit of working with teammates, especially now that you're a Chunin. So this will be good practice."

"But why did you have to pick _Guy's_ team?" whined Ume, "He and his mini clone disturb me to no end."

"Well, get over it," snorted Anko, "You're not always gonna be teamed up with people you like. So, ya need to just grit your teeth and do it."

"I'll do it," said Ume, "But I won't like it."

The two kunoichi made their way to Training Ground 9, where they could already make out the familiar sounds of hard training. They found the colorful team in the main section of the training ground, where Guy and the kunoichi, Tenten, watched Rock Lee spar with the Hyuga, Neji. Just by watching the two of them, Ume could tell that the two of them were a lot better than what they were showing. Even the goofy Lee looked to be holding back.

"Yo, Guy!" called Anko, "How's it going?"

Guy and Tenten looked up, but Lee and Neji resumed their spar without even acknowledging the newcomers.

"Yosh, Anko-san! You've finally arrived!" Guy greeted them in his usual boisterous manner, "Although, you are much earlier than expected. I' am amazed that you just could not wait to fan your flames of youth with a spectacular team exercise!"

"Quiet down, Guy! You're hurting my ears!" snapped Anko. But that didn't curb Guy's excitement.

Ume slipped away from the two rowdy senseis to stand next to Tenten, who was still watching the two boys fight. It seem that she was very good at tuning out obnoxious senseis.

"Long time no see, Nine-nine," greeted Ume, "How's life with Fruitcakes and the Stick in the Mud?"

Tenten scowled at her, Ume always found it fun to annoy her by purposely getting her name wrong (of course Tenten always did the same to her), "My name's "Tenten", Ringo. And good morning to you, too." The weapons mistress then noticed the green flak vest that Ume was sporting, and her eyes widened in surprise, "You made Chunin? Since when?"

Ume scratched the back of her head sheepishly, "Yesterday, actually."

Lee and Neji had abandoned their spar and approached the two kunoichi to see what all the commotion was about.

"Good morning, Ume-senpai!" Lee greeted her in a similar fashion as his sensei, "It has been too long since we have had a chance train our flames of youth together! Also, I congratulate you on making it to the of Chunin! Truly a fellow genius of hard work deserves such a promotion!"

"Thanks, Lee," said Ume, holding in a wince from her ringing ears, "Good to see you, too." She looked over at Neji, "Hey, Bright-Eyes, how's life treating you?"

"Hmm," Was Neji's answer.

"I can respect that," said Ume.

"What's up, girl? You look a little tense," Tenten asked Ume.

"I do?" Asked Ume, "Huh. I guess I'm just a little worried about Ototo is all."

"Why is that, Ume-senpai?" asked Lee, "What grievance has befallen your younger brother?"

"He's taking his Team Genin Test today," Informed Ume.

"Really? Who's his sensei?" asked Tenten.

"Kakashi Hatake," informed Ume.

"Yosh! Guy-sensei's eternal rival!" cheered Lee, "Surely Ume-senpai's younger brother deserves a teacher that can stand up to the flames of youth of one such as Guy-sensei!"

Ume made a face, "Yeah, sure…"

Neji finally spoke up in his typical soft, monotone voice, "I've heard that Kakashi Hatake has never once passed any Genin team that he has tested."

"What?" sputtered Ume, "Are you kidding me? Please tell me this is just some sick joke of yours, Neji."

"I don't joke," replied Neji flatly.

Ume clawed at her head franticly and Tenten quickly tried to calm her down, "Don't worry, Ume, Kakashi-sensei probably failed all of those other teams because they just weren't shinobi material."

"It does not matter if they had potential or not," said Neji, "They were simply not destined to become shinobi. Therefore, it was impossible for them to become one."

"Damn you and your fatalism!" snapped Ume.

"Alright, kiddies, enough playin' around, it's time to get to work!" said Anko, she and Guy finally finished "talking".

The three Genin and one Chunin stood at attention to their representative sensei's. The four younger shinobi all knew that when both Anko and Guy got together, it meant trouble for all of them… Well, _Lee_ didn't seem at all worried.

"Guy-sensei, Anko-sensei, what youthful exercise will we be performing today?" Lee excitedly asked.

Anko quickly answered before Guy could, "Today, the four of you gakis will be doing a mock mission."

"Yosh! We-" Tenten clapped her hand over Lee's mouth to prevent him from spouting out his nonsense. "What kind of mock mission, Anko-sensei?" the weapons mistress asked for him instead.

Anko reached into her trench coat and polled out a scroll, "Inside this scroll are the details for the mission."

The four younger shinobi expected Anko to hand over the scroll to them to read, but she slipped it back into her coat out of sight.

"But, first you'll have to get it," said Anko, a sly smile appearing on her face, "Me and Guy are going to hide the scroll somewhere in the training ground, while the four of you take the time to brainstorm and plan. After thirty minutes, you're aloud to search for the scroll."

Anko looked at Ume, "Snowflake, you'll be in charge, so you're responsible for the team."

Ume was a little taken aback by this, but she nodded an affirmative, "Right."

"Remember, don't move out until thirty minutes are up," Anko said to the group, "Once that half-hour is up, you'll be in enemy territory from then on out, so you'd better watch your back. Oh, and one more thing: you only have until noon to retrieve the scroll and carry out the mission inside, so you'd better be quick."

"Yosh! Let your flames of youth flare their brightest, to see this mission a success!" Cheered Guy, taking advantage of the time to speak.

"Yes! If our team does not succeed, I will run around the entire village on my hands, Guy-sensei!" declared Lee.

"Lee!" Cried Guy.

"Guy-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Guy-sensei!"

"Enough, already!" shouted Anko impatiently, "We've got work to do!"

Ume couldn't be more grateful to Anko for breaking up the disturbing scene. The green sensei and student hugging and crying tears of joy, and what was with the dramatic sunset? A Genjutsu, maybe? Ume didn't know, but she never wanted to see it again. How did Neji and Tenten deal with these two on a daily basis?

"Remember: Thirty minutes," Anko reminded the team before snagging Guy by the back of his Jonin vest and hauling him off into the trees before he could cause any more trouble.

Ume and the rest of Team Guy stood in a few moments of silence, before the three Genin turned to the newly-ranked Chunin, waiting for orders. Ume was a bit at a loss; she had only become a Chunin yesterday, and already, Anko-sensei was making her lead a team. Even if it was only a _mock_ mission, Ume knew that Anko would want her to treat it as if it was real.

Ume scratched the back of her head, "Well, I guess we'd better get started… the three of you use this training ground a lot, right?"

"Yes," confirmed Lee, "We use this training ground every day."

"That's great, how much detail do you know about its layout?" asked Ume.

Wordlessly, Neji began scratching out a map of the training ground in the dirt. He marked an X near the southern border of the map.

"We are here," said Neji, pointing at the X, "There is a small body of water here," he pointed at a blob northwest of the clearing that they were in, "a large rock formation here," he pointed at a circle at the center of the map, "and a few small clearings throughout the area."

Ume study the crude map for a few seconds, thinking, 'Hmm, Psycho-sensei said that the scroll would be hidden somewhere in the area. I know what to expect from her when looking for it, but..'

"In situations like this, Anko-sensei would hide the scroll somewhere in plain sight, to lure you in. But, she's also fond of dangerous and humiliating traps, so it would be hard to get to…" Ume looked at her temporary charges, "What about Guy-sensei? What would his strategy be?"

"Yosh, Guy-sensei would make the scroll-finding exercise a great challenge indeed!" said Lee.

"Shh!" Ume shushed him, "do you want them to hear us? Take it down a notch. Just what _kind_ of challenge?"

"Both hard to see and hard to get to," said Tenten.

Ume thought some more, "I'm not sure, but I _guessing_ that the two of them would combine different aspects of their strategies, to mix things up a bit." And if Ume knew Anko as well as she thought she did, I was safe to say that Anko would get her way and the scroll would be hidden in a way _she_ wanted.

"It is possible," agreed Neji.

"Anko-sensei also said that we have to complete the mission by noon," commented Tenten, "That gives us three and a half hours to do it. That's a lot of time, isn't it?"

"Not really, if you think about it," said Ume, shaking her head, "The more time they give us probably means the _harder_ the mission is going to be."

Team Guy hummed in agreement. With both senseis working together, it was safe to say that this mission was not going to be easy.

"If that's the case, we'll have to get the scroll as quickly as possible, so that we'll have plenty of time to carry out its mission," said Tenten. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Alright, I think I've got it," said Ume, "Neji, when the thirty minutes are up, use your Byakugan to search the area for the scroll. We'll decide how to go from there."

Neji nodded an affirmative, and the team began their wait.

Naruto growled in aggravation and continued to pace in front of his two new teammates. Naruto didn't believe his luck when Sakura-chan was put on his team, now he could be with the pretty pink-haired girl every day! But… He also had to be with Sasuke-teme every day, too! That just sucked, who would want _that_ jerk on their team, anyway?

It would really be awesome is if Naruto got both Sakura-chan and Ume-nee-chan as teammates. That would the best! But Naruto knew that it would never happen; Nee-chan already had Crazy Lady for a sensei, and he was stuck with what he had… But where the heck was their couldn't-dodge-an-eraser sensei?

The second the thirty-minute time limit was up, Team Ume got to work.

Neji activated his Byakugan, causing his milky eyes to become more intense and the veins around his temples to bulge out. Ume found it a little creepy, but she knew that the dojutsu was really useful in these kind of situations.

Anko-sensei had taught Ume a great deal about the different shinobi clans in the village, and the Hyuga Clan was no exception. Ume knew that the Byakugan gave the user a near 360 degree field of vision, the ability to see chakra sources, see through solid objects, and a degree of telescopic vision. Truly a very useful tool. It also made Ume feel a little down that she couldn't use her Kekkei Genkai as well.

Neji began scanning the area with his special sight, looking for any sign of the hidden scroll.

After a few minutes of searching, Neji spoke up, "There is nothing in the immediate area."

Ume clicked her tongue in thought, "Alright, then we'll have to move out. Neji, you walk in front, so you can keep looking for the scroll. Lee, you and I will be the side guards. Eight-eight, you'll be the rearguard."

Tenten scowled at the joke that Ume threw at her name, but didn't comment. Everyone quickly got into position and began to move forward into the trees.

The team continued walking for ten minutes, all wary and keeping their senses open for any sign of their senseis or the hidden scroll. Suddenly, Neji stopped, causing the other three to do the same.

"I've located the scroll," said Neji, "Ten meters directly ahead, at the top of the ground's rock formation. As far as I can tell, it isn't hidden from view."

"Well done, Neji!" Lee whispered excitedly.

"Wait," said Neji, "surrounding the entire rock are several traps. Many look quite complicated, it would take some time to deactivate enough of them to pass through. And deactivating some would set of others."

"Figures," frowned Ume, "Sounds like Anko-sensei's work. Neji, can you get us as close as possible, just before we get to where the traps are?"

Neji nodded, "Yes, follow closely."

The team followed Neji farther into trees, and soon Ume could see the rock formation that Neji mentioned. She could even see the scroll propped upright at the very top, taunting them.

"What do we do now, Ume-senpai?" asked Lee.

Ume studied the rock formation, 'Hmm, I wonder if I could…'

"Neji, are their any traps on the rock or under ground?" asked Ume, a plan formulated in her head.

"There aren't any on the rock," informed Neji, after a moment's search, "But there are a few just below the surface on the ground."

"I think I'll be able to get to the scroll without setting off any traps, but I'll need you to watch my back once I'm there," said Ume.

"How?" asked Tenten, "How are you going to go through there without setting off at least one?"

"I won't be going _through_ them," replied Ume, placing her fingers in the Ram seal, "I'll be going _under_ them." 'Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu.' Team Guy was surprised when Ume suddenly sunk into the ground out of sight.

Using her chakra, Ume tunneled through the ground in the direction of the large rock formation. Mindful of the tree roots and any traps near the surface, Ume soon found the submerged section of the rock.

'Now for step two,' Ume thought to herself, and began channeling her chakra for a second technique, 'Doton: Iwagakure no Jutsu.'

Ume pressed herself against the rock and instantly melted into it. It was a funny feeling, moving through stone, it felt like moving through water and sand at the same time. After a good climb up through the interior of the rock, Ume finally slithered out of the top, right from underneath the scroll. Plucking the scroll from off the top of her head, Ume waved at her team, who watching her from below.

"Catch!" Called Ume, using her strength to throw the scroll over the treetops and into the hands of Lee, who had jumped strait into the air to catch it.

Once she was sure they had the scroll, Ume returned to them from back the way she had come. After digging herself out of the dirt, the team gathered around and opened up the scroll.

All they had to do was take this scroll to guards Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane at the village gate. Once they do, the guards will give them another scroll, which they have to deliver to the Hokage himself, in his office.

"Why do I have the feeling that this is going to be a lot harder than it sounds?" asked Tenten to nobody in particular.

"Probably because it will be, Tenten," said Ume.

"I actually got my name right, this time," noted Tenten sarcastically.

Ume looked at her innocently, "Of course I did, Four-four."

"Argh!"

Team Ume made it out of the training grounds without any trouble, but they never dropped their guard. You never knew where a sneaky sensei might be lurking.

They had Lee carry the scroll, but traveled in a formation that suggested that Tenten was carrying it; she in the middle, with Ume ahead of her and Lee and Neji flanking her on the sides. Now, they just had to make it to the village gate, which was nearly all the way across the village.

They kept to the busiest road in the village, Ume figured that their sensei's wouldn't try to attack them with so many civilians around. As they continued on, an elderly man bumped into Lee as he passed them.

"Sorry there, sonny" wheezed the old man, before continuing on his way.

"I beg your pardon, sir, it was my fault!" apologized Lee to the retreating figure, "I-"

"Lee, where is the scroll?" asked Neji seriously.

"Why it is right-" he opened up his hip pouch, "It's gone! I must have dropped it when I bumped into that man." He frantically searched along the ground.

"You didn't drop it, it was stolen," hissed Ume, "and that wasn't just some old man, either."

Kakashi Hatake dropped his Henge once he was a good distance away from the team. That had been almost too easy.

When Anko had asked (told) him to steal the scroll, she didn't say why, and he didn't really ask. At least this gave him an excuse to be late for meeting up with _his_ "new" Genin team.

Kakashi sat down on one of the wooden benches outside of the many shops in the village, and pulled out his favorite little orange book, "Icha Icha Paradise". As he read, he giggled perversely and a blush appeared across his cheeks, although it was hidden from view by his mask.

"Excuse me," said smooth voice.

"Eh?" Kakashi turned to see that a blonde, skimpily-dressed woman had sat down on the bench next to him. He blinked, "Yes?"

The woman smiled seductively and scooted closer to him, until their legs were touching, "I' m all alone. Would a handsome guy, such as yourself, like to keep me company?"

"Uh- I-I, Uhh…" Kakashi stuttered, trying to process what was going on.

"_Pleeeease_," begged the blond, pressing even closer to his side, "I don't want to be all alone…"

Kakashi's brain went into overload when he felt her hands start to wander. This wasn't right! But his brain wasn't working like it was supposed to.

Suddenly the blond beauty reached up and threw something over his shoulder. When he saw what it was, he squawked in surprise. The scroll! He saw the Hyuga boy from Guy's team catch the scroll and take off down the street with it. Kakashi turned back, but the woman had disappeared as well.

He sighed and blushed in embarrassment (thankfully covered by his mask); how could he, a Jonin of his caliber, fallen for such a trick? Then again, a kunoichi's charm was something that any man should fear.

Kakashi sighed again, should he go after them?… Nah, Anko only told him to steal it, not to get it back if it was taken from him. Plus, he didn't really want to see what would happen if he stole it again.

The Jonin then noticed the time, 'Well, I guess I should head over to the training grounds, and crush the dreams of _another_ group of shinobi-wanna-bee's.'

Ume scowled in embarrassment after dropping the Henge of the skank of a woman, "I can't believe I did that. It was humiliating!"

"A least we got the scroll back," said Tenten.

"Well, next time, _you _have to do it," grumbled Ume, "Now lets just get to the gate before anything else happens." 'I wonder if Ototo his having a better time than me?'

**A/N: **Part 2 is next! .

**Japanese/ Jutsu List:**

**- senpai:** one's senior at school or work

-** Ringo:** apple

**- Genjutsu:** Illusionary Technique

**- Byakugan:** the bloodline limit of the Hyuga Clan

**- dojutsu:** a bloodline limit that utilizes the eyes

**- Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu:** Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole

Technique

**- Doton: Iwagakure no Jutsu:** Earth Release: Hidden Among Rocks Technique


	20. Ch19: Test: Part 2

-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-

**A/N:** and here's part 2, enjoy! =^.^=

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 19:

Test: Part 2

"Yo," greeted Kakashi, after poofing into existence in front of his three new vict- ah, test subjects.

"You're late!" yelled two of said subjects; the short blonde one, Naruto Uzumaki, and the pink-haired fan girl, Sakura Haruno (the dark, broody one, Sasuke Uchiha, didn't say anything, just looked annoyed).

"Sorry, sorry," the silver-haired Jonin's only visible eye curved in a way to suggest that he was smiling, "A black cat crossed my path, so I had to take the long way to get here."

"That's the dumbest lie I've ever heard!" Shouted Naruto.

Kakashi ignored him and set a timer down on one of the tree training posts that stood near the center of the clearing.

"I've set this alarm to go off at noon," he told them, pulling out two pieces of string with a tiny bell tied to the end of each of them, "Now listen closely. Your test for today is for each of you to steal one of these bells from me before the alarm goes off. Who ever doesn't, doesn't get any lunch, and will be tied to one of these stumps, and I will eat _my_ lunch in front of you."

Two of the three Genins' stomachs growled pitifully at Kakashi's statement; they obviously did what he told them yesterday, and didn't eat breakfast. But, he noticed that Naruto looked a bit smug, and his stomach was protesting like the others. Hmm…

"But, Kakashi-sensei, there are only _two_ bells," Sakura piped up.

"Good observation," said Kakashi, tying the tinkling bells to his belt, "Since there are only two bells, one of you will definitely get tied to a stump… Also, who that is, will automatically fail, and will be sent back to the academy for more training."

All three of the Genin reacted to that. Both Naruto and Sakura looked horrified, and Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he scowled harder than usual.

"Also, if you don't come at me with the means to kill, you won't stand a chance," Kakashi told them.

"But, that's dangerous!" protested Sakura.

Naruto just laughed, "Ha! you couldn't even dodge an eraser, this will be a snap!"

Kakashi just stared at the blond, "The ones with the loudest mouth usually are ones to die first."

Naruto growled before pulling out his sister's lucky kunai and charging the annoying Jonin, "Rargh!"

Naruto startled when Kakashi was suddenly behind him; holding onto the top of his head and twisting his arm in a way that caused Naruto to point the kunai a the back of his own neck.

'So fast!' was all three of the Genins' thoughts.

"I didn't say "go" yet," drawled Kakashi, "But, at least you came at me with the intent to kill. It seems you've finally begun to respect me." He let go of Naruto and took a step back, "Ready?…. Go!"

All three Genin leaped away from the Jonin and into the cover of the trees.

Team Ume finally made it to the check-in desk at the village's giant wooden gate, without anymore incidents. Ume wordlessly handed the scroll over to the two Chunin, who both seemed to know exactly what was going on.

The Chunin who wore his Hitai-ite bandanna style, Izumo, grinned at them as he handed the new scroll, "Good luck."

"You're gonna need it," said his bandage-over-the-nose partner, Kotetsu.

"Thanks," grumbled Ume, stuffing the scroll into one of her vest pockets. She still wasn't over having to try and seduce Naruto's sensei. What was he doing here anyway, shouldn't he have been at the training grounds? Did Ototo finish his test? Did he pass?

Ume shook her head to clear her thought, 'Come on, girl, focus! You'll have to find out later, first just get the scroll to Jiji. How hard could it be?'

Naruto was getting impatient. He didn't care what Ume-nee-chan told him, he couldn't just sit and do nothing but hide for so long. He _had_ to get one of those bells, he could _not_ be sent back to the academy, not after all the trouble he went through to get _out_! But Kakashi-sensei said one of them would be sent back no matter what, and Naruto also didn't want to be stuck with Sasuke-teme, either…

Naruto got an idea; if he could get _both_ bells, he would give one to Sakura-chan, and they would both pass! And Sasuke-teme would be sent packing! That's it, he was going to fight that late bastard head-on! With all the cool things Nee-chan taught him, he was sure to win.

Throwing caution to the wind, Naruto abandoned his hiding spot, and landed in plain sight a few feet away from the silver-haired Jonin.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road!" challenged the blonde fishcake, "You and me, right now!"

"Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the loud-mouthed kid, "You're very weird."

Naruto growled at the insult, "The only weird thing around here is your hairstyle! I'll slaughter you Uzumaki style, believe it!"

Naruto made a cross sign with his index and middle fingers, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Several dozen Naruto's poofed into existence, completely surrounding the Jonin.

Kakashi's visible eye widened in surprise, how was this boy able to use such a high-ranking Jutsu at such a scale? Most people couldn't make more than one or two shadow clones, because of how much chakra it drained from the user. This just showed how huge Naruto's chakra reserves were.

"Alright, Broom-head, We're gonna grind you into the ground!" declared the army of orange, "Get ready!"

There was a loud battle cry and Kakashi was attacked by a wave of orange and yellow. It was all Kakashi could do just to not be buried alive by all of the Naruto's. It didn't take long for the Jonin to realize that even though he could take out a few Narutos with his superior skill and experience, the fishcake army could take him out with sheer numbers.

Having little other choice, Kakashi used a Kawarimi with a log and appeared outside of the orange mob, getting his bearings back. But, the Jonin ended up using Kawarimi again when he heard the light whistle of shuriken flying through the air.

Another poor log was pelted several sharp kunai and shuriken, it would seem that the last Uchiha wanted in on the action, too. But that little stunt had given away the Genin's hiding place.

Before Kakashi could dwell on it, he was surprised (again) when a Naruto exploded from the ground and grabbed him from behind. The rest of the mini army surrounded him again and attempted to burry him with their numbers.

Kakashi managed to throw the one Naruto off of his back, and swiftly weaved his hands through the seals: Horse, Tiger; Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!

Placing his index finger and thumb together to form a ring, Kakashi placed it over his mask-covered lips and blew. A huge ball of fire erupted from the ring and engulfed the entire army of Narutos in an instance. When the flames died down, there wasn't a speck of orange in sight.

'That solved that problem, but I wonder where the real one ran off to?' thought Kakashi, 'Well, I guess I should go root out the other gakis… wait-'

Kakashi felt of his belt and looked down. "Whaaa-!" One of them was gone!

Team Ume sped along the village rooftops, desperately trying to get to the Hokage Tower as fast as they could, and trying to avoid their senseis at the same time.

This time, Neji was the one carrying the scroll, and this time he kept his Byakugan activated, so know one (disguised with Henge or otherwise) could sneak up on them again. To make double sure, they each carried fake scrolls, and they traveled with Tenten in the front (to take out any targets from a distance), Lee and Ume on the wings, and Neji in the middle. No way they were letting someone steal the scroll again.

"Two targets coming in from the left and the right," informed Neji, "Closing in fast."

"Keep moving," said Ume, "Tenten, try taking them out when they're in sight."

"And if that doesn't work?" asked the weapons mistress.

"We'll stand our ground," said Ume.

Not five seconds later, two sets of their representative senseis appeared on rooftops a few feet away from the team. Tenten launched several handfuls of projectile weapons at the "enemies". Ume was actually a little surprised when the targets didn't dodge and the weapons hit their mark. Both sets of Guy and Anko disappeared in puffs of smoke when hit; Shadow Clones!

Suddenly, four huge snakes appeared out of nowhere and wrapped themselves around each member of the startled team.

'Shit!' winced Ume, 'Damn Psycho-sensei and her Summons!'

Ume saw that Neji managed to free himself by expelling his chakra in one quick burst, causing the snake summon to dispel. As the Hyuga went to help the others, Ume used on of the crudest (but affective) ways to escape: She bit down as hard as she could on one of the snake's coils.

The snake hissed in pain, and loosened its grip, but Ume didn't let go. Not wanting to deal anymore with the biting girl, the snake dispelled into smoke. Straitening up, Ume saw that Neji had managed to free the others.

"Is the scroll still here?" she asked. Neji checked his pouched and confirmed that it was still safely tucked inside. "Great, then lets move, we're halfway there!"

Naruto snickered giddily as he hopped through the trees, a bell clasped in his hands. It worked, he had got a bell! He had wanted to get both at the same time, but this would work; he would just give this one to Sakura-chan, then he would go back for the other one, no sweat! But, where was Sakura-chan?

As if to answer his question, a shrill scream sounded through the trees, causing Naruto to stop, 'That sounded like Sakura-chan… Oh, no, sensei must have got her!'

Naruto took off in the direction of the scream, searching for the pink-haired girl. He finally found her passed out on the without any visible injuries. What the heck happened?

Naruto squatted down next to her and tried to rouse her awake, "Sakura-chan! Hey, Sakura-chan, wake up!"

Sakura groaned and opened her eyes to find Naruto's mug directly in front of her. She squawked in surprise and discussed and flailed her arms, smacking the blonde away from her, "_Naruto_! What are you doing? Where's Sasuke-kun?"

Naruto tenderly rubbed his sore nose, "Ah, Sakura-chan, why'd you have to hit me so hard?"

"What are you doing here, Naruto?" huffed Sakura, "I don't have time to deal with you, I've got to find Sasuke-kun, and help him!"

Naruto quickly presented her the bell, "Look what I got, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura was completely surprised, "You actually got a bell?"

Naruto grinned and nodded feverishly before holding it out to her, "It's for _you_, Sakura-chan!"

"Huh?" the pink-haired girl was confused, "Is this some kind of joke? Because if it is, I-"

"No, no, it's really for you!" insisted Naruto, shoving the bell into Sakura's hands, "Now you can pass! I'm gonna go get the other one now, that way we can both be on the same team!" Before Sakura could reply, Naruto shot off into the trees, to search for the silver-haired Jonin.

Sakura looked down at the tiny bell in her hands, and an idea popped into her head; she would give the bell to Sasuke-kun! And if Naruto managed to get the other bell from Kakashi, she would say that she lost hers; surely he would give her the second one, then she and Sasuke-kun would be together!

Loving the idea, Sakura dashed off to find her crush.

Kakashi had watched the whole scene from his hiding place. It would seem Naruto had unknowingly demonstrated a part of the true purpose of the test… But the other two didn't seem to get it at all…

'Well, time to test Sasuke, and see what his motives are. Time was almost up for all of them anyway.'

Team Ume was sprinting through the village as fast as they possibly could, all of them worse for wear. They were so close to their destination, but their senseis' were relentless!

They had abandoned the rooftops, and were now in the street, making a beeline to the tower. Ume was in front of the group now, and their time limit was almost upon them.

'Gotta hurry!'

The team was now only a few yards away from the tower. But, to their aggravation, three Guys and Ankos appeared between them and their target. Ume growled, they didn't have time for this.

Uzumaki Style went into affect and, without breaking stride, Ume snagged Neji (still carrying the scroll) by the back of his khaki shirt with both hands. Ignoring his protests, Ume spun him around once before sending him flying clear over their blockade and strait through the open doors of the Hokage Tower. Neji-Slingshot, success!

"Next!" said Ume, grabbing Lee in the same fashion she did Neji, and repeated the process with him. Lee-Slingshot, success!

Tenten screeched at her when Ume grabbed her, too, and threw her. When the weapons mistress made it through the doors, Ume cheered, "Ten points for the home team!"

The mob of sensei's made a grab for her, but instead of going over them, she used a Kawarimi with an unsuspecting Chunin who happened to exiting the tower. Ume dashed inside after her teammates, without looking back.

"See ya, suckers!"

Team Ume stood breathing heavily before the aging Hokage. Hiruzen couldn't help a small smile at the four of them; it would seem their senseis didn't take it easy on them.

"So, you've finally made it," stated Hiruzen, looking at the clock, "and right on time, it would seem."

He heard the whole team give a small sigh of relief, and Ume handed him a scroll, "Here you go, Jiji."

Hiruzen took the scroll from her and was amused by the three Genins' shocked faces. It never failed to shock people whenever Ume or Naruto refused to refer to him as "Hokage-sama".

"So, what's in that scroll, anyhow?" asked Ume, ignoring her teammates, "What's so special about it, that Anko and Guy-sensei put us through hell to get it here?"

Hiruzen just smiled and wordlessly opened up the scroll, before turning it around to show the group its contents:

You Pass!

- Love Anko

P.S. Guy's gakis, go back

to your training field. Snowflake,

hurry up and get your fishcake and

lets eat lunch, I'm starving!

"Damn it, sensei!"

Kakashi stood in front of the three Genin, he was a bit disappointed with this group. He had really hoped that they would understand the true meaning of his test. Maybe he was just hoping for too much.

After Naruto had given his bell to Sakura, _she_ ran off to Sasuke to give the bell to _him_. Unaware of her intentions, Sasuke attacked the pink-haired girl and stole the bell from her. Kakashi then ambushed the Uchiha and taken the bell back. Oh, had Naruto been surprised to see _both_ bells on the Jonin's belt, when he finally found him again.

The alarm Kakashi had set went off not long after that. The Jonin decided to tie Sakura to the stump, since the two boys at least tried to get a bell on their own. Stomachs began to growl pitifully as he stared at the scowling Genin.

"Uh, oh, stomachs growling, huh? That's too bad," said Kakashi, crossing his arms, "By the way, about this exercise, I've decided that I won't send any of you back to the academy."

Naruto look excited, Sakura looked a bit confused, and Sasuke just smirked.

Naruto cheered, "That means all three of us-!"

"Won't be going back to the academy. Instead you will all be dropped from the program, permanently," stated the silver-haired Jonin.

All three Genin looked horrified by the condemning statement.

"But, that means we can never become shinobi!" Naruto loudly protested, jumping to his feet, "You said if we couldn't get the bells, we'd be sent back to the academy, you can't just change your mind and kick us out! Why would you do that?"

"Because you don't think like shinobi," Kakashi said flatly, "You think like little kids, like brats." Sasuke growled and charged forward, attempting to attack the Jonin.

But, Kakashi easily pinned him face-first on the ground, "You think it's all about you."

"Let go of Sasuke!" yelled Sakura from her tied-up spot, "You can't just step on him like some kind of bug!"

"You don't know what it means to be a shinobi! You think it's all a game," snapped Kakashi, "Why do you think we put you on squads? Did you ever consider _that _question for one moment?" The Genin looked taken aback.

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto.

"I mean you never understood what this test was all about," answered Kakashi, "Use your head, why would we put three members on a team?"

Naruto still seemed confused; Nee-chan had told him that the test probably would have a hidden meaning, but he couldn't think of one, "Argh! How are we supposed to know why you pick three people? We didn't make the rules!"

"Teamwork! It's about teamwork!" growled Kakashi, "Naruto was the only one who came close to this; even though he had a bell for himself, he gave it to Sakura, so that she would pass.

Sasuke, you attacked your own teammate just to insure that you would pass. And Sakura, you didn't even try to help at all. You could have helped Naruto get the last bell, but all you did was follow after Sasuke."

"But you only set it up with two bells, and three people" protested Sakura, "Even if we worked together and got the bells, only two of us could keep them. That would lead to group conflict and the team would break up!"

"Exactly," said Kakashi, still not happy with the lot, "I _purposely_ pitted you against each other. I wanted to see if you could overcome that and put the _team_ above _yourselves_. On a mission, those who put themselves above the team lead to failure or death. For example:"

Kakashi disappeared and reappeared behind Sakura, a kunai poised at her throat, "Naruto, kill Sasuke, or Sakura dies."

All three Genin looked panicked at this, especially Sakura, who couldn't move from where she was tied.

"You see what I mean?" asked Kakashi, putting the kunai away, "The enemy takes a hostage, you're left with an impossible choice, and someone ends up dead. On every mission, your life is on the line."

Kakashi walked over to a large black stone that stood in front of the training posts. "Have you looked at this stone and the names engraved upon it?" he asked, "They are all shinobi who are considered heroes in our village."

'Heroes, huh?' "If that's the case, then I'm gonna have my name on that stone!" stated Naruto.

"They are a… special kind of hero," said Kakashi.

"What kind of heroes were they?" asked Naruto, "Come on, come on, tell us!"

"The were all killed in the line of duty," stated Kakashi.

Naruto's grin and excitement slowly melted away, and all of the Genin were silent.

"This is a memorial stone, the names of my closest friends are written here," he told them, and an awkward silence followed.

Finally, the Jonin turned and looked at them seriously, "Alright, I'm going to give you one more chance, but this time I'm going to be a lot harder on you. You'll have three hours to get a bell."

He handed a bento to both Naruto and Sasuke, "Eat lunch now to build up strength, but do not give Sakura any. If anyone tries to feed her, that person will immediately fail. I make the rules, and you follow them, got it? Now, I'll be right back." With that, Kakashi disappeared.

Both boys opened up their bento, and Sakura's stomach growled loudly at the smell of the food inside. Sasuke started to eat, but Naruto just stared at his. Thanks to Nee-chan, he wasn't starving right now, but Sakura-chan…

Making up his mind, using his chopsticks, Naruto held up a clump of rice to her, "Here, Sakura-chan."

"Naruto, what are you doing? Are you trying to fail?" asked Sakura, "You heard what sensei said."

"I know, but I actually ate breakfast this morning, so I'm not really hungry," admitted Naruto, "Besides, sensei isn't here right now, so he won't know!"

"But I-" protested Sakura.

Sasuke suddenly held out his bento, too, "Here, have mine, too."

"Sasuke?"

"If we're going to work as a team, you'll need your strength. If you're hungry, that will make you weak and slow us down," said Sasuke, without looking at either of them.

"….Okay.. Thanks," Sakura gratefully took a bite of the rice Naruto offered her.

Suddenly, Kakashi appeared in an explosion of smoke, "You-!"

All three Genin quailed under Kakashi's murderous glare. But, suddenly his glare dropped and he "eye-smiled" at them, "-all pass!"

"Huh?" all three of them were dumbstruck.

"You are the first ones to have done it," Kakashi told them, "All of the other teams would just do everything I told them and fell into every trap. They would never think for themselves. A shinobi must know how to see underneath the underneath."

"In the shinobi world, those who break the rules are scum, that's true," he continued, "But, those who abandon their comrades, are worse than scum."

All of the Genin were smiling at this, even Sasuke didn't have his usual scowl.

"The test is over," Kakashi gave them a thumbs-up, "Team 7 begins their first mission tomorrow!"

Naruto cheered, "I did it, I did it! I'm a shinobi! Believe it!"

**A/N: **I hoped you liked it! Remember, reviews make writers happy! =^.^=

**Japanese/ Jutsu List:**

**- Henge:** Transformation

**- Kage Bunshin no Jutsu:** Shadow Clone Technique

**- Kawarimi:** Replacement

**- Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu:** Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique

**- kun:** an affectionate honorific used when addressing a male, or when someone

Addresses a male of junior status

**- bento:** a packed meal in a partitioned lacquered box


	21. Ch20: Traitorous Friendship

-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 20:

Traitorous Friendship

Ume had just made it to the edge of Training Ground 7, when an orange blur tackled her, knocking her flat on her back. Naruto had wrapped his arms and legs around his sister's middle, making it hard for her to breath.

"I did it, Nee-chan! I'm a Genin now, believe it!" Naruto cheered happily, hugging Ume so tightly, she thought her ribs would crack.

"A-air!" wheezed Ume.

"Huh?"

"Air!"

"Oh, sorry!" Naruto quickly loosened his hold, but his grin never left his face; it was so big, Ume was afraid that it would split his face in two, "But, I passed!"

Naruto's mood was contagious and Ume couldn't help but feel his excitement. Ume hugged him back with just as much force as Naruto had.

"That's awesome, Ototo!" she squealed, "I knew you could do it!"

"Eh-hum," Somebody cleared their throat.

The two Uzumakis looked up from their sibling snuggling at an amused Kakashi and the rest of team 7. The two of them picked themselves off the ground; Ume rubbing the back of her head sheepishly, and Naruto still grinning like a fool.

"Ain't life grand?" Ume and Naruto nearly jumped out of their skins when Anko suddenly appeared behind them from out of nowhere.

"Anko?" Kakashi raised a curious eyebrow at her, "Where did you come from?"

The snake mistress grinned as she grabbed both of the siblings into headlocks, "What a coincidence that I ran into all of you at once!-"

"Coincidence my ass!" growled Ume, "You were just spying on us, again."

Anko ignored her apprentice, "Well, since we're all here, we are all going out to eat!"

"Huh?"

"Don't try and talk your way out of it, Hatake," said Anko, leaving no room for negotiation, "We're going, and that's that."

Anko ended up dragging Ume, Naruto, and the rest of Team 7 to one of her favorite restaurant/bars, 'The Flying Kunai', which, coincidently, was the same establishment that Lee had destroyed when Ume had first met him and his team. Ume admitted that it was a nice place, and was a bit relieved that it wasn't just another dango joint again.

All six of the shinobi crammed themselves into the biggest booth the restaurant had to offer; Ume sat in between her brother and her sensei on one side, while Sakura sat between Kakashi and Sasuke on the other side.

In Ume's opinion, Naruto's new squad wasn't the most dynamic team she'd ever come across. First, there was Sasuke Uchiha: the only survivor of when his entire clan was destroyed by his own brother, the Rookie of the Year in Ototo's class, the civilians kiss the very ground he walks on…. But, he's a complete ass (more so than Neji).

Then there was Sakura Haruno: Top Kunoichi of her class, book-smart and by the book… but, she's shrill fan girl, through and through. Ume then examined Naruto's new Jonin sensei, Kakashi Hatake; the famed Copycat Shinobi and wielder of the Uchiha Clan's dojutsu, the Sharingan (even though he himself wasn't an Uchiha), and son of Konoha's past White Fang… also a chronic tardy-person, and obsessed with reading porn...

Yeah, this is gonna be _some_ team. It was times like this that Ume was glad that she was Psycho-sensei's only apprentice.

A waitress soon arrived and took the group's order. Ume laughed at Naruto's pouting face when he found out that the restaurant didn't serve ramen; Ume suggested that he follow Anko's example and have some red bean soup. She herself order a large plate of karaage-fried chicken, yum.

"-and then it was like: Bam! I got sensei good, he never saw it coming!" Naruto dominated most of the conversation, ignoring Kakashi's exasperated look, and retold every detail of his team's test. Whenever she could get a word in, Ume told of her "fun" with Team Guy.

"So, do you work with Guy's team often?" asked Kakashi.

"Every now in then," answered Ume after swallowing a bite of chicken, "They're great to train with, but Guy scares me more than Sensei does." Ume earned a smack to the head for that comment.

"By the way, Anko," the Jonin turned towards the violet-haired kunoichi, "I'm starting to get the feeling that you're being a bad influence on your apprentice."

"Heh?"

"I know that there are missions that only kunoichi are able to do, and even though Ume-chan did well in your mock-mission, there was one moment were-" Kakashi was cut off when Ume slammed her fist hard on the tabletop.

"Man, this is good meat!" said Ume, stabbing a piece of chicken with her chopsticks and holding it eyelevel, "It sure would be a shame if anything happened to it…" Ume locked her eyes on the silver-haired Jonin and ripped off a piece of the chicken with her teeth, "A real shame."

Translation: if you say anything about what I did today, I'll hunt you down and gut you like a fish!

Everyone (minus Kakashi) gave Ume a weird look for her out burst. Anko raised an amused eyebrow at her antics before turning back to Kakashi.

"I don't really care about Snowflake practicing her seducing skills on you," Anko said casually, "I just-"

Both siblings choked on their drinks and sprayed Naruto's team members after hearing Anko's statement.

"Naruto!" shrieked Sakura.

"Sensei!" Ume sputtered, blushing from embarrassment, "Shut up! Besides, you're one to talk, when _you're_ the one who tried to molest Iruka the other day!"

"All I did was hug him!" snapped Anko, glaring over Naruto's spiky head at her apprentice.

"You shoved his face in your boobs!" sneered Ume, "He was so traumatized that couldn't look at another woman for days without flinching."

"Are you implying something, gaki?" growled Anko, rising a bit from her seat and leaning over a very nervous Naruto.

Ume rose up to meet her, "Just that you shouldn't dish out what you can't take."

"Why you!"

Sakura looked scared out of her wits by the to fighting kunoichi and began clinging to Sasuke's arm for comfort. Sasuke himself looked to be trying to mask his own fear, while tactically trying to shift himself as far away from Ume and Anko as possible, while also trying to dislodge Sakura from his arm.

Naruto looked pleadingly at his sensei from between the two bickering kunoichi. "Help me!" he mouthed desperately.

A bead of sweat ran down Kakashi's temple has he watched the raging Chunin and Tokubetsu Jonin; sometimes he forgot how scary the female species could really be. But, the Jonin decided that he should probably save his loudmouthed student and break up the appending bloodbath before they got kicked out of the restaurant.

"Umm, the two of you might want to settle down until after we finish eating?" suggested Kakashi warily, "This _is_ a public place, after all…"

The two kunoichi stopped their bickering long enough to glare at the silver-haired Jonin. After all, _he_ was the reason they had gone off on each other. Nevertheless, student and teacher slid back into their seats and went back to their food without another word.

Naruto sighed in relief, now that he was no longer sandwiched in between the two kunoichi's killer intent. 'Ume-nee-chan and Crazy-sensei can be _really_ scary. But, I wonder what Kakashi-sensei meant…?'

The rest of the meal went on without much incident, except for the occasional light insult from either Anko or Ume… although, Anko _was_ consuming an excessive amount of sake (more than what Ume was comfortable with).

Before long, a drunken blush had stretched its way across Anko's cheeks and nose, and she became even more irrational and incoherent than usual.

"I shwear, gakis these days.. Hic.. Don't have any reshpect for their.. Hic.. Shlerpieriors these days.. Hic.." slurred Anko, waving a half-empty bottle of sake around, splashing the table with its contents, "And another thing-!"

Kakashi watched in bemusement as the Uzumaki siblings squashed themselves against the far wall of the booth, as far away from the drunken Anko as they could (trapped in the booth as they were). If this went on much longer, Kakashi had a feeling that it would lead to a very large headache for him. Perhaps he should just cut his losses now and leave…. No, he just got through lecturing his team about never abandoning your comrades. Sigh.

"Um, Anko, I think you've had enough for today," said Kakashi, quickly snatching the bottle away from the snake mistress, "Besides, it's only just past noon, and already you're like this. It's a little shameful."

"Hey.. Hic.. Give that back!" Anko rose from her seat in an attempt to retrieve her stolen beverage.

But, the moment Anko staggered out of her seat, her legs gave out from under her. Kakashi managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Ugh… room won't stop spinning…" Anko moaned pitifully.

Kakashi sighed, "Well, I guess the party's over." He looked over at an exasperated-looking Ume, "I'll take Anko home, so I guess you're free to do whatever until she's sober again."

After throwing down enough money to pay for everyone's meal, Kakashi turned to his Genin, "As for the rest of you, you'll start you're shinobi duties tomorrow morning.

Meet me at the North Bridge at six a.m. Chow!"

With that, the silver-haired Jonin and the Tokubetsu Jonin disappeared in a puff of smoke. Ume gazed at the spot that the two senseis had been standing a second earlier and sighed heavily. Sometimes Psycho-sensei could really be embarrassing.

"Hnn," after a few more seconds of awkward silence (and after prying Sakura off of his arm), Sasuke stood from his seat and left without another word.

"Sasuke-kun, wait up!" the pink-haired girl scrambled after the broody Uchiha.

Left alone, the Uzumaki siblings sat in silence; it looked like they had been ditched. Well, Ume was never one for parties anyway. But, she wished Naruto's teammates didn't just ignore her brother the way they did…

"Well, Ototo, it looks like it's just you and me," said Ume, lightly ruffling his hair, "How bought we go and train some more? Since we're both free for the rest of the day."

"You bet, Ume-nee-chan!" cheered Naruto.

But, suddenly, Naruto grimaced and held his stomach in pain when it made a disturbing gurgling sound, "Urgh, my stomach doesn't feel so hot…. Bathroom!"

Naruto shot out of his seat and made a hasty beeline to the men's restroom. Ume winced in sympathy, 'Poor Ototo. Maybe that soup wasn't a good idea?' She was about to get up and wait near the restrooms for Naruto to come out, when a familiar voice stopped her.

"Well, well, it seems Misumi was wrong. You _did_ make Chunin after all."

Ume looked up to see a familiar silver-haired, glasses-wearing Genin, "Hey, Kabuto! How ya been?"

"Quite well, thank you," Said the Genin, smiling as he sat down opposite of Ume, "You seem to be doing fine, too, Ume-chan." He looked at the empty glasses and dishes, "Don't tell me this was all for _you_."

Ume gave a light scowl, and sipped at her water, "No, sensei and I ate with Ototo and his team. They just now left, and Ototo's having a bit of a stomach problem." She gestured towards the restrooms.

"Ah," was all that Kabuto said. The silver-haired Genin glanced over Ume's shoulder at something behind her.

Curious, Ume turned in her seat to see what Kabuto was looking at, but saw nothing of real interest. She turned back around to face him, "What is it?"

Kabuto just shook his head, "I thought I saw someone I knew, but it wasn't them."

"Hmm," Ume took another sip of water, smacking her lips at the taste. Huh, there was a very slight tang to it. Did someone add lemon to it?

"So, besides making Chunin, what's new?" asked Kabuto, leaning back in his seat.

"Ototo passed his Genin Test and is now on Team 7 under Kakashi Hatake," said Ume, taking another drink, and trying to ignore the weird tingling in the back of her skull.

"Kakashi Hatake, huh? I'm sure he'll be an excellent sensei for your brother," said Kabuto, adjusting his glasses.

"He better be," frowned Ume, swallowing the last of her drink. Her seat felt a bit like it was swaying, and the weird tingling in the back of her skull had now spread throughout her entire body… and she felt strangely tipsy.

"How is training going?" Kabuto asked casually.

'Man, that was good water!' thought Ume giddily, folding her arms on the table, "Eh, I kinda feel like I'm at a bit of a plateau right now… why do the call it a plateau anyway?"

Kabuto ignored her question and adjusted his glasses again, "So, there isn't _anything_ new going on with you or your training?"

"Why do they call it that?" asked Ume, her brain had finally gone numb and rational thought was now out the window.

"…Call what, what, Ume-chan?"

"Mizurappa," grinned Ume, flopping her head down on her folded arms, "The technique, why do they call it that? I mean, they call it the Violent Water Wave, and it doesn't look anything _like_ a wave. It's more like a…. what were we talking about?" Ume frowned, remembering was really hard right now.

Kabuto placed his elbows on the table and treaded his fingers together, "You were explaining your training regimen to me."

Ume's brow wrinkled in confusion, "Really?.. Huh… Pffsh, I swear, don't ya ever get that feelin' that _no_ matter how hard you train… you're always taking one step forward and…and… how does that saying go again?"

"I believe it's "one step forward and two steps back"," said Kabuto, resting his chin on his interlaced fingers.

"Yeah, that's the one," chirped Ume giddily, "No matter _hhoooow_ hard you try, it takes completely _forever_ to make a stupid acorn sprout. It's all Tora-sensei's fault that I hate acorns, ya know?"

"… I'm afraid I don't understand, Ume-chan," Kabuto pushed his glasses further up his nose, "Who is Tora-sensei, and what's all this about an acorn?"

"Tora-sensei is Tora-sensei," answered Ume, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "and acorns are stupid. Why does it have to be _soooo_ hard to make wood, anyway?"

"What do you mean, "wood"?" pressed Kabuto.

Ume didn't answer, but instead sunk further into her seat, "Ugh, so tired…" her eyes drooped shut, and soon the white-haired kunoichi was softly snoring with her face flat against the table.

Kabuto stared at her sleeping form for a few minutes, before standing and leaving her alone in the booth.

Naruto groaned when he finally exited the men's restroom. He had been in there _forever_, and had quickly cleared out the facility while there.

"I guess I shoulda' listened to Nee-chan and not have drank that milk that was in the back of the fridge," Naruto grumbled to himself, as he made his way over to where he had left Ume. He surprised to find his sister fast asleep in the booth.

'Was I really in there that long?' wonder Naruto. He reached over and lightly shook Ume's shoulder, "Nee-chan. Hey, Nee-chan, wake up!"

The kunoichi groaned in response but continued to snooze on.

'Huh, I guess she was tired from training with Crazy Lady. A full stomach after training sometimes makes _me_ tired," thought Naruto, 'Oh, well, I guess we can train later…'

With only a little trouble, Naruto managed to pull Ume out of the booth and arrange her on his back, piggy-back style. The sight was slightly comical, considering Ume was taller than Naruto, but he managed.

Shoving the restaurant's front door open with his foot, Naruto made it outside and went on his way back towards their apartment, "Let's go home, Nee-chan."

Kabuto Yakushi considered himself an intelligent and clever individual; it was usually always easy for him to get the information he wanted without directly asking for it... But, he'd never expected his most recent info hunt to be _that_ easy.

The silver-haired shinobi had originally gone to the 'Flying Kunai' for the same reason everybody else did: to eat. But then, he spotted Ume Uzumaki there with a group of other shinobi. The opportunity for eavesdropping had been too good to pass up. Maybe finally he would learn about the secretive kunoichi.

Kabuto kept himself out of sight from the group as he listened in on their multiple (not to mention: colorful) conversations, and for a time, he thought he would never hear anything of value. But, when the Jonin, Kakashi Hatake took the drunken Anko Mitarashi away, Kabuto's luck changed. Only moments after the two elder shinobi had left, the Uchiha and the pink-haired girl left as well, and when Ume's younger brother rushed off to the bathroom… well, that was it then; Kabuto doubted that he would get a chance to speak with Ume alone like this again anytime soon; best to take what he could now.

With a polite smile and friendly greeting, approaching the girl and taking a seat at her booth had been easy enough. It was sad how even _easier_ it was to get Ume to look behind her as Kabuto slipped a drug into the kunoichi's drink.

The drug wouldn't harm her, just make her rationality go away for a while. The only bad affect that it would have (for her) would be a nasty headache whenever she woke up, as well as inability to remember the events that took place while she was under the influence of the drug. A very useful agent.

But, just to be one the safe side, Kabuto refrained from asking _too_ direct questions; only those that might trigger a memory or response that had to do with the information he was looking for.

When Kabuto had first began his little interrogation, the white-haired kunoichi had only babbled on about useless (if not amusing) trivia. But, finally, Ume had spilled something that somewhat hinted at what Kabuto suspected of the kunoichi: that she possessed a Kekkei Genkai that revolved around flora.

The only bloodline limit that Kabuto knew about that resembled that was one that had been extinct for decades; the Mokuton. As impossible as it sounded (and with the little real proof that he had), Kabuto was certain that his master would once again have a chance to acquire the ancient bloodline limit.

**A/N:** I hope you liked =^.^= Plez review! And remember: ideas, questions, and suggestions for future events and plot devices are welcome and encouraged! And remember: Art (reviews) are an explosion! ^.\)

**Japanese/ Jutsu List:**

**- Sharingan:** the bloodline limit of the Uchiha Clan

**- sake:** a Japanese alcoholic beverage usually served warm


	22. Ch21: Hidden Motives

-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-

**A/N: ***bows deeply* please forgive me for the really long wait! The real world tends to rear its ugly head when we least expect. L Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 21:

Hidden Motives

Ume nervously licked her dry lips as she lead her "team" through the treetops. Two weeks had passed since the infamous mock- Chunin mission Ume had been forced to take with Team Guy, and now she was putting that practice to use.

She had been given a C-mission that entitled Ume to lead a team of Genin to deliver a scroll to a landowner in a small tourist town about two days journey from Konoha; Simple enough… But, leave it to sensei to reveal at the very last minute that she wouldn't be going with them on the mission; Ume would be in charge of this one.

To top it off, Naruto had excitedly informed her that he and his team were going on their first C-mission. What the hell was that silver-haired Jonin thinking? It had taken _months_ for Ume to get _her_ first C-mission; It had only been two weeks since Naruto made Genin, and he had taught his team close to nothing during this time, and he thought it would be a good idea to send a them out on a _C_-mission? The snow-haired kunoichi swore that if anything happened to her precious ototo, she would murder that lazy masked shinobi.

Although, despite all of ware on her nerves, Ume took some comfort that she actually familiar with two of the Genin she was leading. Kabuto and his teammates Misumi and Yoroi had been volunteered for Ume to lead on this mission, but not everybody was happy about this little setup.

Misumi and Yoroi had all but thrown a fit about "taking orders from a kid". Ume sniffed at the memory. It wasn't _her_ fault that they were still Genin at their age.

Ume was brought out of her musing by the voice of one of the current banes of her existence.

"Yo, how much further?" called Yoroi, "Shouldn't we been there by now?"

Kabuto saved Ume the trouble of answering, "We should be coming up on Ryoko Town in less than half an hour."

Misumi huffed loudly, "I still don't see how we got dragged into following a greenhorn Chunin who doesn't even know the way to our mission destination."

Ume grounded her teeth together and held her tongue… but just barely. 'Hold it together, girl, you're a Chunin now. Don't let this jerk get to you.'

"Misumi…" Kabuto warned.

But the older shinobi ignored him, "I guess the standards for Chunin are a lot lower than they used to be. Especially if they let little girls be promoted-"

holding it in! "Oh, yeah? Well, if _I'm_ low standards and actually _made_ Chunin, what does that make you? Mr. Taken-the-exams-how-many-times?"

"Now, now, lets not fight. We're on a mission, after all," said Kabuto, ever the peacemaker.

Misumi huffed again but said nothing else for the rest of the trip to the nearby town, for which Ume was grateful. It would look bad on her report if she throttled one of her own men… no matter _how_ much he deserved it.

The mismatched team made it to Ryoko Town without incident and delivered the scroll to an elderly gentleman. He thanked them kindly and invited them to stay the night at his inn free of charge as thanks. The shinobi graciously agreed and decided that they would head back to Konoha in the morning.

Ume was given her own room separate from the guys, which she was grateful for. Not that she minded sharing a room, she just didn't want to listen to Misumi and Yoroi's Kami-forsaken voices all night long. Still a little early for sleep, the kunoichi decided to kill some time in town. After informing her teammates, she took to the streets.

Leisurely strolling down the streets, Ume entered what looked to be the shopping district and amused herself with a little window shopping. Not much of a shopper, this didn't last very long. Ume was about to head back to the inn, but something caught her eye inside a nearby shop window.

Trotting across the street, she stared at the object that had caught her attention, through the shop's display window.

Ume eyed the brand new chakra weights through the glass. They were the same ones that she had watched Naruto drool over during one of their "family outings". Apparently, one could adjust the weight of the strap-like weights by pulling or pushing chakra into them.

'The perfect birthday present for Ototo.' His birthday still wasn't until a couple of months, but there was no harm in buying a present early.

After checking her plum-printed wallet and deeming it worthy, Ume happily tripped into the shop. A few minutes later, the kunoichi immerged from the store, quite proud of her purchase; she even managed to find a set that was Ototo's favorite color: orange! On her rush back to the inn, Ume accidentally bumped into someone.

"Sorry," she hastily apologized, before heading back to where she'd left her annoyance of a team.

Tsunade scowled when she felt someone ram into her arm as they passed.

"Sorry," apologized the assailant, before rushing off.

The busty blonde turned to tell off whoever it was that ran into her, but stopped dead in her tracks when she spied a head of snowy-white hair disappear into the crowd.

"Is something wrong, Tsunade-sama?" asked her attendant, Shizune.

Tsunade stared silently down the road, where the white-haired girl had gone, for a few short seconds before turning in the opposite direction.

"No. Let's go."

Ume and her team were making good time by the time they stopped to make camp late the next evening. If they continued at the pace they used today, they probably would make it home by early afternoon tomorrow. While Ume began setting up the campsite, Misumi and Yoroi went off to scout the area, while Kabuto volunteered to gather firewood.

By the time she'd finished setting up camp, none of her teammates had returned yet, which in turn gave Ume's mind time to wander.

Misumi and Yoroi had been unusually quite ever since they had left Ryoko Town. Not that she minded, Ume could do without the older Genin's constant picking and bad-mouthing. It was just strange to see them so solemn.

Speaking of strange, Ume still couldn't remember what happened at the end of the day that she, Anko, and Team 7 had all had lunch together to celebrate. Everything, up until when Kakashi had escorted Ume's drunken sensei home and the rest of Team 7 ditched them, and Ototo had rushed to the bathroom, Ume could remember. But everything after that… it was completely blank. It frustrated her to no end.

According to Naruto, after he had recovered from his bathroom emergency, he had returned to find Ume fast asleep in the booth. He hadn't been able to wake her up, so he just carried her home on his back.

Ume smiled at the memory, 'Good 'ole Ototo.'

Snap

The white-haired kunoichi was bought back to reality by the noise and she whipped her head around for the source, hand instinctively going to her kunai pouch. There was nothing there that she could see, but Ume swore that if it was just Misumi or Yoroi trying to sneak up on her, she was going to rip them a new one!

One second.

Two seconds.

Instinct, born from two years of training with Anko, saved her life. Ume dodged before a hail of kunai buried themselves in the very spot the kunoichi had been sitting seconds earlier. Rolling to her feet, Ume held a kunai out in front of her and scanned the trees for an enemy. "Show yourself!"

'Are seemingly-simple C-missions just cursed for me?'

Seconds seemed like hours as Ume strained her eyes and ears for any indication-

"Ume-chan?"

On reflex, Ume twisted and threw the kunai at the voice.

Dropping his load of firewood, Kabuto quickly ducked under the deadly projectile.

"Whoa! Easy, easy, It's just me!" Fumbled the silver-haired Genin, holding up his hands in a peace gesture.

Instead of apologizing, Ume whipped out another kunai and resumed scanning the surrounding trees.

"Ume-chan, what's wrong?" asked Kabuto, slowly dropping into a defensive crouch.

"We're not alone," Ume answered, never taking her eyes off of the trees. 'But where-?'

Time slowed down when a figure appeared in Ume's peripheral vision. Twisting her body away from the threatening shape, Ume's right arm came up in an arch, intending to block whatever was coming. Ume's heart nearly leap out of her throat when, as her arm came up, a thick jagged root exploded from the ground and impaled the unknown attacked through the chest.

Ume stood frozen where she stood, staring into the lifeless eyes of her attacker. That didn't just happen… Ume mechanically lowered her arm, her sluggish brain slowly clicking into gear. Following her movements, the root sunk back into the ground, lowering the rogue man down onto the dirt, dead as a doornail. There was silence.

"It _was_ you."

Ume turned to looked at Kabuto's awed face, then to the dead attacker, then back at Kabuto. 'Shit! He saw…!'

"I knew it. Just like during the Chunin Exams, you _did_ control the root," exclaimed the Genin.

Ume sighed heavily, no use in hiding it now, "Yeah, I admit it, it was me. It… it's my Kekkei Genkai."

The kunoichi missed the glint that flickered in the glasses-wearing Genin's eyes, "Incredible…"

"You can't tell anyone!" panicked Ume.

"Why ever not?" asked Kabuto, bemused, "Having a Bloodline Limit isn't something to be ashamed of-"

"No! Nobody can find out about this!" Ume insisted desperately, "You can't tell!"

"….Very well," agreed Kabuto, face unreadable.

"Promise!"

"You have my word."

Kabuto Yakushi knew many secrets, and ones that he didn't know, he found out one way or another. The bigger or darker the secret, the more gratifying it was to discover it. That being said, Kabuto was _very_ pleased to have finally received hard evidence that Ume Uzumaki did indeed have a Kekkei Genkai; a personal confession to boot.

Kabuto sneered to himself, 'Orochimaru-sama will be _very _interested, indeed.'

**A/N: **A little shorter than previous chapters, but I hope people approve. Reviews, ideas, and healthy criticism feed my pet muse, so please send yours! =^.^=


	23. Ch22: Stress

-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 22:

Stress

It was safe to say that Ume's first time at leading a team on a real mission had been a complete success… but, the snow-haired kunoichi didn't feel as jubilant as she probably should have. But, Ume wasn't the only one.

Anko-sensei had been all creepy smiles and cheers about the whole thing until finding out about Ume's Mokuton incident with Kabuto. Luckily, Misumi and Yoroi were still ignorant of Ume's Kekkei Genkai. But, it was still one more person that had to keep a secret.

It wasn't her fault! Ume never meant for her Mokuton to pop out like that, it just did! Now that Ume thought about it, it seemed that the longer she tried to suppress her Kekkei Genkai, the more it seemed to leak through the cracks of her control and pop out at the worst times. The closest thing Ume could compare it to was clenching one's muscles for too long; there had to be some kind of release sooner or later.

Ume sighed from her spot on top of her and Naruto's appartment, she couldn't wait until he returned from his mission. She could really use his optimistic attitude right now.

"Good afternoon, Ume-chan."

Startled, Ume glanced up from her reclining position to find a familiar porcelain tiger mask starring down at her.

"Boy, am I glad to see you, Tora sensei," said Ume, sitting up, "I could really use a distraction right now."

"Anko told me what happened on your mission," he replied.

The kunoichi winced, "That's what I needed distracting from…"

"Sorry."

"Can we _please_ train together today?" begged Ume, "I really, _really_ need to vent."

"… Very well."

Chunin and ANBU stood in a secluded training area, admiring said Chunin's handiwork. Ten large, fully-grown trees towered over the duo in a cluster, all having been grown at the same time in mere seconds.

"You're getting better, Ume-chan," said Tora, "It's unfortunate that I don't know how to do the _real_ Mokuton Hijutsu: Jukai Kotan. But I have a feeling that you just might recreate it."

"Thanks, sensei," grinned Ume, who was in a much better mood than this morning. She was tired, but at the same time felt relieved; hard training was always the best stress-reliever.

"By the way, you seemed more eager than usual to work on your Mokuton today," the ANBU commented offhandedly.

"…. Sensei, you've hidden your Mokuton for a long time, right?" asked Ume hesitantly, "Have you ever… just wanted to stop hiding?"

Tora gave no immediate answer, and with that mask of his, Ume couldn't read his expression. A few seconds ticked by and Ume began to think that the ANBU wasn't going to answer at all.

"Sometimes…," Tora finally said, "But, it's the Hokage's orders, and a good shinobi follows orders. Even if we don't like them, you just have to grin and bare it."

The young kunoichi sighed, "Well, it wouldn't be so bad if it didn't practically hurt to keep my Mokuton _in_ when it wants to come _out_."

Tora's head gave a slight tilt, "Explain." Ume could practically hear the frown in his voice.

"It's like," Ume tried using her hands to find the right words, "It's like stretching a giant rubber band.. And after holding onto it for so long, it just snaps."

"That's quite an analogy," chuckled Tora, "Though I've never had this problem myself, I can see where you're coming from; you are having to suppress what is a natural part of yourself… I'm not sure if it will work, but I might have a temporary solution."

"I'm willing to try anything at this point," sighed Ume.

"It would probably be best if you took the time use your Mokuton here at regular intervals: in between missions, or when you are not training with Anko-san, instead of only with me" explained Tora, "This way you will be able to expel any pressure or stress you may build up from not using your Bloodline."

Ume thought about it for a moment, it sounded like it just might work. She used the same concept when taking care of ototo; if Naruto went too long without attempting a decent prank, all of Konoha would have hell to pay. So, Ume would take it upon herself to at least help him prank someone at least once or twice a month, to keep the little orange fishcake at bay. Ume nodded in agreement to Tora-sensei's idea.

There was a moment of comfortable silence between the ANBU and Chunin, before the older of the two spoke again.

"By the way, will you show me that new Jutsu that you said you were working on? You've made me curious."

"I haven't finished it yet, it's still a work in progress," answered Ume, scratching her head. She had got the idea for the original Jutsu from Wood Clones, and it had taken her forever to get where she was now with it.

"Show me anyway," said Tora.

Ume shrugged before folding her hands into a snake seal. Mixing her Suiton and Doton chakra to form her Mokuton, Ume gathered the chakra into the muscles of her arms and then pushed it outward.

Tora watched as wood tendrils sprouted from the white-haired kunoichi's arms and shoulders, thickening until they completely consumed both limbs to form branch-like appendages. Ume stretched and bent her arms as easily as if they were covered in fabric, rather than wood.

Flexing her claw-like fingers, Ume grinned proudly at the tiger-masked ANBU, "Well, what do you think?"

"Interesting," complemented Tora, crossing his arms over his chest plate, "And you mentioned that it's unfinished?"

"Yeah," nodded Ume, ending the Jutsu and reverting her arms back to their original forms, "The plan is to make the Jutsu cover my entire body, sort of like a type of battle armor. I've been working on the idea for nearly a year, but I've only been able to make it cover my arms and part of my back."

Thanks to his mask, the kunoichi didn't see Tora blink in surprise; Ume had come up with original Jutsu before, but this was bigger than anything the ANBU had ever seen her attempt.

"Do you have a name for it?" he asked.

"Ningen-ki."

'How fitting.'

Ume trudged towards her appartment tired, but content, after training for most of the day with Tora-sensei. The stress that had built up from the past few days had been properly vented, and Ume was looking forward to spending the rest of her evening relaxing at home.

Reaching the door to her and Naruto's shared appartment, Ume was surprised to find it unlocked and the sound of voices coming from the room within. One in particular was unmistakable to the white-haired kunoichi. Preparing for the worst, Ume cracked open the door. The sight before her made Ume slam the door open all the way.

"What the hell is this?"

Anko, along with one of her sensei's old friends, Kurenai Yuhi, and her Genin Team (plus a ninken), were all loitering around her and Naruto's tiny table. Anko looked up and waved cheerfully, "Yo, Snowflake, you're back, and we're starving!"

"Anko, are you -?" the red-eyed Jonin, Kurenai, began to ask, but the snake mistress cut her off.

"No worries, 'Nai-chan, Snowflake doesn't mind."

Twitch. "Like hell I don't!" fumed said kunoichi, "It's bad enough that _you_ freeload around here all the time, Sensei. But, now you're bringing all your little friends, too! Me and Ototo aren't rich, you know?" 'Leave it to Sensei to cause all the stress I lost today to come back.'

"U-um… I-I, um…" Ume swiveled her attention to the flustered, stuttering pale-eyed girl seated next to Kurenai.

Ume recognized the girl right away. She was Hinata Hyuga, Neji's younger cousin… and Naruto's shy stalker. Ototo was completely oblivious to the fact, but Ume had noticed the girl shadowing the siblings from afar for years. She also didn't miss the fact that the girl would blush and stutter every time Naruto _did_ happen to notice her. The Hyuga girl definitely had it bad.

The girl seemed to shrink under Ume's scrutiny. "S-s-sorry for I-intruding.. b-but w-we.. we brought…" The meek raven-haired girl bowed her head and held out what looked like a strawberry cake.

Ume stared at the peace offering. 'Damn it, Psycho-sensei must have to them my weakness…!'

After a few silent, tense moments, the snow-haired kunoichi turned and stalked towards the tiny kitchenette, "Fine."

"Alright! I told you it would be okay!" cheered Anko.

Ume grumbled to herself as she began preparing a meal for her uninvited guests. 'I _really_ wish Ototo would get home soon…'

**Japanese/Jutsu List:**

**- Mokuton Hijutsu: Jukai Kotan:** Wood Release Secret Technique: Birth of

Dense Woodland

**- Ningen-ki: **Human-Tree

**- Ninken: **Ninja dog


	24. Ch23: Tool

-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 23:

Tool

It was over a week later before Ume got to see her beloved little fishcake again. It happened late one morning, when Ume and Anko were just coming in from training for a lunch break. Ume had been knocked clean off of her feet and onto the hard ground when an orange blur tackled her into a death hug.

"I'm home, I'm home, Ume-nee-chan!" cheered Naruto, huggling his elder sister in the middle of the street, "I missed you, believe it!"

"Ototo!" squealed Ume, hugging the blonde back with just as much force, "You're finally back! How did it go?"

"It was awesome, my team totally kicked ass! We-!" the blonde's speech was cut short when his stomach made itself known to the world.

Both Ume and Anko laughed at Naruto's face after hearing the loud gut grumble; same old Naruto.

"How 'bout we all get something to eat, and you can tell us all about your mission then?" suggested Ume. But, her nose was suddenly assaulted by the knowing stench of travel, "But, first you _really_ need a shower."

"Eh-heh…"

One shower and change of clothes later, the white-haired kunoichi and Konoha's snake mistress found themselves at Ichiraku's ramen shop (by request of Naruto), listening to Naruto recount everything that happened on his team's first C-mission. Ume found herself nearly going into cardiac arrest as Naruto explained how his apparent C-mission ended up turning into an A-mission; something only assigned to Jonin-rank or higher!

Naruto and his team had been assigned to escort a master bridge builder, by the name of Tazuna, back to his home in the Land of Waves. But, while on the road, the team was attacked by two rouge shinobi called the Demon Brothers, who had both been intent on killing Team 7's charge. After the brothers had been defeated (by Kakashi), Tazuna had revealed that the Land of Waves had been taken-over by a greedy shipping magnate, called Gato, who had forced all of the country's people into poverty.

The only way to revitalize the country's economy was to build a bridge to the mainland (which Tazuna was trying to accomplish) that could bypass Gato's shipping Monopoly. Because of this, Gato hired shinobi to kill Tazuna. Even though they were going to be facing a load of unknowns, Kakashi had agreed to continue on with the mission (Ume felt like punching the Jonin in the face for that).

When Naruto got to the part in his story where they were attacked by the missing-nin, Zabuza Momochi, both Ume and Anko choked on their ramen.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, are you telling me that you ran into one of the Seven Ninja Swordsman of Kirigakure, _the_ Demon of the Mist?" sputtered Anko, "You lucky dog, you!" Anko received a smack the back of the head from Ume for that.

"Shut it, Sensei! Ototo could have been killed!" snapped Ume angrily.

Anko smacked Ume back with a little more force, "But he didn't, so settle down! Anyway, what happened next, gaki?"

"And then that Zabuza guy trapped Kakashi-sensei in a water-ball-prison-thing and then tried to kill us with those water clones that Nee-chan uses sometimes. Anyway, me and Sasuke-teme tricked Zabuza into freeing Kakashi-sensei with one of my windmill shuriken and some of my shadow clones. He never saw it coming!

Oh! Then, Kakashi-sensei pulled off this cool trick with that eye he keeps covered with his hitai-ite, and started copying every single move Zabuza made! He even did that awesome Suiryudan no Jutsu that Ume-nee-chan knows!"

Ume couldn't help a small smile creeping up onto her lips; Naruto's enthusiasm was contagious. Plus, she was a little amused that Naruto thought that it was so scandalize that somebody _else _could use a Jutsu that Ume knew.

Finishing up his third bowl of ramen, Naruto went on to tell about how a Hunter-nin from the Hidden Mist came out of nowhere and supposedly killed Zabuza with a few senbon needles to the neck, then disappeared with Zabuza's body. After that, Kakashi had collapsed from exhaustion, and Tazuna let the team recover at his house.

Naruto also talked about Tazuna' family; his daughter, Tsunami, and his grandson, Inari. He talked about how Gato had years ago had Inari's father publicly executed for daring stand against the tyrant's rule. Which in turn had crushed the hope of both Inari and the villagers of the town.

"And then, when Kakashi-sensei woke up, he told us that he thought Zabuza wasn't dead!" declared Naruto.

"Ha, I knew it!" scoffed Anko, "First of all: no matter _how_ good someone's aim is, senbon needles are rarely fatal when used as a weapon, except maybe if dipped in poison. But I've never heard of a poison that kills that instantly.

Second: if that Hunter-nin was what he claimed to be, he would have never moved Zabuza's body. I know for a fact that both the Hunter-nin from the Hidden Mist, and our very own ANBU corps always destroy the body on the spot. So, your so-called Hunter-nin was a fake. I'm surprised that sensei of yours didn't pick up on that sooner, he must be loosing his touch."

"I know that, Kakashi-sensei already explained that!" fumed Naruto, "Now stop interrupting me!"

Naruto then went on to tell how, while his sensei was recovering from fighting Zabuza, he spent a week alternating between training his team and guarding Tazuna while he worked on the bridge. Naruto bragged how Kakashi had tried to teach them how to use their chakra to walk up a tree without their hands, and how he (Naruto) had already known how to do it. It was here that Ume interrupted the story again.

"Stop right there!" Ume held up her hands, "Your telling me that Kakashi_ just now _tried teaching your team the tree-waking exercise?" 'That's one of the first things I ever learned! What the hell is that Cyclops thinking, letting a bunch of greenhorn-Genin on a C/A-mission when they didn't even know (besides Naruto) how to do the tree-climbing exercise?'

"I have to agree with Snowflake," said Anko, interrupting Ume's internal rant, "I mean, what the hell has Kakashi been doing with you gaki's this whole time?"

"Stupid D-missions, mostly," pouted Naruto, getting tired of being interrupted, "But, sometimes he would make us spar each other. I' am so close to kicking Sasuke-teme's butt!"

At that revelation, killing intent began to roll off of the two kunoichi. 'That ing idiot!'

"Now, stop interrupting me, I'm almost to the good part!" whined Naruto.

Hiruzen Sarutobi always despised having to visit the dungeons of Konoha's Torturer and Interrogation force, but today he had no choice. When Kakashi Hatake and his team had returned from their C-mission, Hiruzen soon learned that the mission had been miss-ranked. Not only that, but team had returned with a prisoner, as well. Which was the reason the aging Hokage was visiting these stone hallways.

Hiruzen approach the Head of T.I., Ibiki Morino, who was loitering outside on of the many steel doors that lined the hallway.

"What is the situation?" asked Hiruzen.

"He didn't put up a fight during interrogation; answered every question that we asked him without any fuss," answered the scarred Tokubetsu Jonin, "It's safe to say that this kid has lost all will to live. He keeps begging for one of us to kill him. I don't see why, we never tortured him in any way."

Hiruzen raised a weathered eyebrow at this, "I wish to speak with him."

Ibiki nodded silently before unlocking the cell door and stepping aside to allow the aging Hokage clear passage. Stepping inside, Hiruzen blinked at the sight before him. The boy ("Haku", Kakashi had called him) didn't look up when the Hokage entered the cell. He just stayed slumped over a small cot, his long ebony locks curtaining his face, and chakra-suppressing cuffs on his wrists.

According to Kakashi, this was the subordinate of the late Zabuza Momochi, as well as the holder of a powerful ice-related Kekkei Genkai. This… sad, broken, soft-featured child (who didn't look much older than Ume and Naruto) didn't look anything like the cold assassin Hiruzen had been expecting. But, then again, appearances were deceiving in the shinobi world.

"Have you finally come to kill me?" the young shinobi suddenly asked in a soft voice.

Hiruzen stood silently for a moment before answering, "Why are so determined to die?"

"Because, with Zabuza-sama gone, I have lost my purpose in this world," Haku told the elderly Hokage, "I' am… unnecessary."

"And why is it, that you think that?"

Haku finally looked up at Hiruzen, "It is only through the eyes of others and their acknowledgement in which our lives have any meaning. One cannot live without a purpose, for without it, we are merely an existence."

The aging Hokage nodded solemnly, "That is true…"

"If you truly understand, then please kill me," begged the shinobi sorrowfully, "I' am a broken tool, that has outlived its usefulness. Please."

Hiruzen starred at Haku silently, his mind mulling over all of the options on how to handle this situation. Some people would simply give the boy his wish and end his life, while others would covert him for his Bloodline, but neither of these two options appealed to Hiruzen. It seemed like forever before the Sandaime spoke.

"A broken tool can be cast aside… But, it can also be repaired."

**Japanese/Jutsu List:**

**- Kirigakure:** Village Hidden in the Mist


	25. Ch24: Trouble

-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 24:

Trouble

"Aaaaahhhhh, man I'm sure glad that's over, believe it!" stretched Naruto, having just finished up a boring D-mission of weeding some lady's garden.

"The only reason it took so long, was because _you_ kept on pulling the plants, instead of the weeds!" harped his pink-haired teammate.

Naruto grimaced, "Sakura-chan…"

"Idiot," droned the brooding Uchiha.

Naruto growled and pinned Sasuke with a glare, "Shut up, Teme!" The blonde Jinchuriki found himself being punched on top of the head for the comeback.

"Don't insult Sasuke-kun like that!" demanded Sakura, as Naruto tenderly rubbed the growing bump on his skull.

Kakashi was about to break things up before they got out of hand, but stopped when he picked up the sound of a hawk cry. Looking up, the masked Jonin watched the bird circle in the air once, before gliding off. 'Huh, it's that time already…'

The three bickering Genin paused when their sensei suddenly disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Sasuke harrumphed before making his way down the road, making it clear that since their sensei, without an explanation, had ditched them, he no longer had to be in the company of his teammates.

Naruto pouted has he watched Sakura race after Sasuke, desperately trying to flirt her way to a date with the Uchiha. The blonde didn't really care that Kakashi had left them, it wasn't like it was anything new. Besides, Nee-chan's Psycho-sensei had secretly started training him after that crazy C-mission his team had gone on. He was learning _way_ more from the scary snake lady, them he ever did from Kakashi! Everything was going great!.. But…

'Why does Sakura-chan always go after Sasuke-teme?'

A shuffling sound suddenly alerted Naruto of something sneaking around behind him.

"Hm?" Naruto turned to see a square rock with eyeholes scuttling along behind him.

Naruto pointed accusingly at the "rock", "Alright, come on out of there! How dumb do you think I am? Rocks aren't square!"

There was a moment of silence before a muffled voice came from within the "rock", "You saw through my disguise again! You haven't lost your touch, Boss."

Bright-colored smoke suddenly exploded from the amateur disguise. Three different sets of coughs came from within the cloud of smoke. "I *cough* think we used a little too much gunpowder, guys."

As the smoke cleared, it revealed Naruto's stalkers to be none other than Konohamaru, as well as two other academy students, Naruto remembered their names to be Moegi and Udon; together, they called themselves the "Konohamaru Corps".

"Yeah, I knew it was you, Konohamaru," said Naruto, lacing his hands behind his head, "Huh, what's with the goggles?" He eyed the green accessories that all three academy students were now sporting.

Konohamaru grinned proudly, "You used to wear goggles too, remember? We're just copying your style!"

"Huh," said Naruto, trying his absolute best to act aloof.

"What do you mean "Huh"? What, are you too cool to hang out with us anymore, or something'?" demanded the Sandaime's grandson.

Still trying to keep up his "cool-guy" façade, Naruto sighed, "So, what do you guys want, anyway?"

"You said that you would play ninja with us today, remember?" piped up Moegi.

"Oh, heh heh, that was today?" Naruto _really_ wanted to hurry and find Nee-chan and Psycho-sensei to train today. But if stayed to play with the kids, he would probably loose the time to do it.

"A ninja playing ninja, that's so immature."

A forlorn Sakura suddenly appeared near the group of friends, yet again been dumped by Sasuke after failed flirting attempts. Sasuke had really turned Sakura down hard this time. His words were still echoing in her head, "If you have the time to waste flirting with me, then you have the time to learn a new Jutsu or two. Face it Sakura, at this point, your skills are even worse than Naruto's." Naruto fidgeted nervously under Sakura's glare.

"Hey, Boss, who is this girl anyway?" asked Konohamaru. 'Huh, the way she's staring at him, its like her eyes are daggers…' "Oh! I get it, you're a smooth operator, Boss," he said slyly, elbowing Naruto.

"Huh?"

"Come on, I can see that she's your-" Konohamaru waggled his pinky, "girlfriend!"

"What?" raged Sakura, snapping out of her Sasuke-induced depression.

Naruto blushed and grinned sheepishly, " Oh, uh, you can tell she's crazy about me, huh?"

"Why, you-!" Sakura's fist sent Naruto flying into a nearby fence.

"Boss!"

Konohamaru waved a fist towards the fuming pink-haired kunoichi, "Hey, what kinda' girlfriend are you?"

The pink harpy growled and advanced on the now quaking academy student. Moegi and Udon covered their eyes as Konohamaru's terrified scream echoed through the village.

One beating later, Sakura stomped away from the bruised forms of Naruto and Konohamaru, "Jerks!"

When Sakura was a good ways down the road, the two boys sat up, nursing their bumps and bruises.

"Oww! Sheesh, I don't think she's even human! Did you see the size of her forehead?" moaned Konohamaru.

From where she was, Sakura froze. Somehow, even at the distance she was at, she had managed to hear the goggle-wearing boy's comment. Turning slowly, her face scared the living daylights out of the Naruto and the Konohamaru Corps. The four of them took to their heels, with a raging harpy right behind them.

Konohamaru pulled ahead of the stampede, but, turning a corner, he failed to watch where he was going. After running flat into something solid, he cried out in surprise before rebounding of off whatever he hit and landing on his backside.

"That hurt, you little snot!"

Konohamaru timidly stared up at what, or rather _who_ he had run into. Neither one looking very friendly. The one he had run into was dressed in a black, baggy full body suit, and a black cat-eared hood. The older boy also (oddly) sported purple Kabuki-style face paint, and carried a large, wrapped package on his back.

Behind the Kabuki-ninja was a blonde-haired kunoichi, who's hair was pulled up into four spiky pigtails. She wore a simple kunoichi outfit and also carried a large, flat, club-like devise on her back.

The Kabuki-boy roughly snagged Konohamaru up by the front of his scarf, "Aren't ya' going to apologize for runnin' into me, little snot?"

"Hey, put him down, ya big jerk!" demanded Naruto angrily, having finally caught up with the younger gaki.

"Why should I?" asked the stranger, still holding a struggling Konohamaru in the air, "First of all: I hate brats like him. Then he goes and makes it worse by running into me."

"Knock it off, Kankuro," said the blonde kunoichi in a bored tone, "He told us not to make a scene."

"Stay out of it, Temari. I'm trying to teach this punk a lesson," snapped the one dubbed Kankuro.

"Um, I'm sorry, this whole thing was my fault. We were just fooling around and-" Sakura timidly tried to defuse the situation. The pink-haired girl also noticed the headbands of the two strangers, 'They're foreigners… What are they doing here?"

"I said 'put him down'!" growled Naruto, charging at Kankuro, intent on rescuing the younger gaki.

Smirking, Kankuro held up his free hand and twitched two of his fingers. At the exact same moment, Naruto's feet flew right out from under him, landing him flat on his back.

"Gah! What the heck just happened?"

The Kabuki-nin smirked again, "Man, Konoha-nin are nothing but a bunch of whimps." He then cocked back his fist, and looked at Konohamaru, "Time to get rid of gaki number one."

"Konohamaru!" cried Moegi and Udon.

Temari sighed in frustration, "If we get in trouble, I wasn't involved in any of this."

But, before Kankuro could follow through with his threat, he felt cold steel against his throat and a crushing vice on the arm that held the squirming kid.

"I'll give you five seconds to drop my gaki, Suna-nin," hissed a cold voice.

"Aneki!"

"Nee-chan!"

A bead of sweat forming on his brow, Kankuro's eyes tilted towards the assailant that had appeared out of thin air. The Kabuki-nin came face to face with a furious snowy-haired kunoichi, who's eyes seemed to be trying to burn through him. Whoa. When Kankuro didn't immediately respond, Ume brutally squeezed his arm, causing him to drop Konohamaru, who quickly scuttled away from his would-be attacker.

Ume then shoved Kankuro towards his blonde companion and stood between them and her fellow Konoha-nin, "You're a long way from home, Suna-nin, and you're on my turf now. And if I ever see you hurting my gakis again, you'll wish you were never born."

Rubbing his bruised arm, Kankuro made to make a comeback, but was stopped in his tracks by a chilling voice that came from a nearby tree, "Kankuro, enough. You're a disgrace to our entire village."

All eyes turned to a third Sand shinobi who was motionlessly sticking to the underside of a branch like a bat.

"G-Gaara," stuttered a terrified Kankuro.

'How the heck did he sneak up on me like that?' thought Ume, 'I never even felt his presents!'

Ume took a good look at the newcomer; He had piercing teal eyes surrounded by black shadows that made him look like he hadn't slept in years. His short-cropped hair was the color of blood, and under his bangs, Ume could make out a red tattoo of the Kanji for "love" printed on his forehead. Upon his back was a large gourd that looked too heavy to be lugging around.

"It annoys me that you are wasting time acting like a child," said the red head, his voice raspy as if rarely used, "Have you forgotten why we've come here?"

"B-but Gaara, they started it," protested Kankuro, pointing at the Konoha-nin, "The little one slammed me, then the white-haired chick pulled a knife on me-!"

"Shut up," demanded Gaara, his monotonous voice never changing, "Or I'll kill you."

The hairs on the back of Ume's neck stood up at the killing intent that leaked from the red head. Thanks to training with Anko-sensei, it took a lot to intimidate Ume, but there was something different about this boy's chakra. It felt much more… sinister (and strangely familiar), and it made Ume's Mokuton stir inside of her for some reason.

Both Kankuro and Temari looked scared out of their wits.

"Y-you're right, I-I was completely out of line."

"We're r-really sorry, Gaara."

Ignoring their apologies, Gaara disappeared from the tree in a swirl of sand and reappeared between his two nervous comrades. Recognizing Ume as someone of higher rank, Gaara spoke, "I apologize for any trouble he caused." He didn't sound very sorry.

Without waiting for a reply, the red head turned away and addressed the other two Suna-nin, "Lets go, we didn't come here to play games."

"Sure, whatever you say, Gaara," agreed Kankuro.

"Hold it," called Ume, "What is your name, red?"

Gaara slowly turned back to the older kunoichi, "I' am Sabaku no Gaara. I' am curious about you as well. Who are you?"

"I' am Ume Uzumaki," she replied, "You may have diplomatic protection here, but if your buddy there keeps causing trouble, I'll have to whip him back in his place. So you'd better keep him in line."

"…Hnn," replied Gaara.

"Hey, there, I bet you're dying to no _my_ name, right?" Naruto suddenly cut in.

"No," said Gaara, "Let's go."

With that, the three Suna-nin disappeared, leaving a sputtering Naruto behind.

Hiruzen sat behind his desk, puffing away at his pipe, observing all of the shinobi now crowding his office. He had called all of the Jonin sensei's that were commanding Genin teams, as well as three proctors for this year's Chunin Exams together.

Glancing to the left, he eyed his new personal masked guard. Many had questioned the Hokage's decision to make the Hyoton user his bodyguard, but Hiruzen was a believer in redemption, and Haku had shone to be quite willing to serve him. Having his previous purpose in life taken from him, Hiruzen had given him a new purpose, to which Haku was eternally grateful and swore his life to.

Feeling the Hokage's gaze, Haku turned his gaze towards him and nodded. It was time to begin.

"Alright, it is time that we chose the candidates for this year's Chunin Examinations," announced the Sandaime, "To begin, will those in charge of the rookie Genin please step forward."

Three of the Jonin instructors stepped out of the crowd and stood before the Hokage.

"Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma, what do you say, are there any in your squad that you would like to recommend for the Exams, despite their inexperience?" asked Hiruzen, "Any Genin that has completed eight or more missions is technically eligible for the examinations, beyond that, only you can decide if they are ready. Of course, most Genin require a great deal more training experience. So, Kakashi, you begin."

Said Jonin saluted, "I, Kakashi Hatake, leader of Squad 7, Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sakura Haruno. I Kakashi Hatake recommend all three of these Genin for the Chunin Selection Exams."

Nobody notice the academy instructor's (Iruka's) look of horror, or Anko Mitarashi's scowl at this declaration.

"And my squad is number 8, Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame, and I, Kurenai Yuhi, recommend all three," reported the red-eyed kunoichi.

"And mine is number 10, Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi, and I, Asuma Sarutobi, recommend all three," finished the bearded, chain smoker- Jonin.

Hiruzen hummed at this; it was unusual for so many rookie Genin to be recommended, most Jonin held their students back for at least a year before letting them enter the exams. Apparently a certain academy instructor was thinking along the same lines.

"Hold on for just one second!" protested the scarred Chunin.

"Yes, what is it, Iruka?" asked the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama, I mean no disrespect, but the nine names just given were all my students at the academy, I know all of their strengths and abilities," said Iruka, "Every one of them has great promise, but it's too soon, they need more experience before they are tested, if they try now, they are sure to fail the exam."

"When I became a Chunin, I was six years younger than Naruto is now," replied Kakashi.

"Naruto is nothing like you!" snapped Iruka angrily, "Are you trying to destroy them?"

Anko couldn't help but agree with the scarred Chunin. From what she had seen with her own eyes, the members of Kakashi's team were nowhere near ready to become Chunin.

"Well, they are always complaining about not being challenged enough," said the silver-haired Jonin, "Maybe wiping out in the exams will teach them a lesson. A little pain is good."

"What did you say?" demanded Iruka.

"Oh, nothing fatal, of course. Seriously, Iruka, relax," replied Kakashi, "Listen, I know how you feel, it is very personal for you, and it upsets you. But-"

"Alright, Kakashi, back off. You've said enough," interjected Kurenai.

"On the contrary, Kurenai, Iruka needs to hear this," said Kakashi firmly, "He needs to learn that they are _not_ his students anymore, they're _mine_."

Anko snorted, 'Like he actually teaches them anything.'

"You know, my Eternal Rival, he does have a point. You're putting a lot of pressure on them, why so impatient?" Guy stepped in, addressing Kakashi, "I, myself, held my team back a year, to hone their skills and to allow them to mature. Even Anko held her apprentice back for nearly two years. Why not let them enjoy their youth a little longer?"

Kakashi chuckled lightly, "Your concern is touching. Are you sure it's not just because your scared that your students won't stand a chance against mine?"

"Alright, alright, that's enough," said Hiruzen firmly, "The matter of the rookies' participation is closed. The exam will commence in one week's time, and I' am ready to hear the other Genin's participation recommendations."

"I know what I'm doing," Kakashi told Guy, "You'll see."

Iruka and Anko were not so sure.

**A/N:** *Begs for reviews* =^-^=

**Japanese/ Jutsu List:**

**- Kabuki: **traditional Japanese theater

**- Kanji:** Japanese writing system

**- Sabaku no Gaara:** Gaara of the Desert

**- Hyoton:** Ice Release (Haku's Kekkei Genkai)


	26. Ch25: Commencement

-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-

**AN: **I beg your forgiveness for being so late, but college life can really run you into the ground at times.

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 25:

Commencement

Anko fastened the lock of one of the forty-four gates of the Forest of Death, and smiled giddily, "There. Everything is perfect!"

Ume rolled her eyes at her sensei's enthusiasm. It was the day before the Chunin Exams, and everything was finally ready for testing the Genin examinees. Anko had been on cloud nine ever since Jiji had assigned her to be the proctor for the second portion of the exams. Even Ume had a job to do tomorrow, but that wasn't the reason for the kunoichi's contentment.

Sensei had told her all about Kakashi recommending Naruto and his two teammates for tomorrow's exams. Ume had been worried out of her wits by this, for she new that no matter how much potential Ototo had, and how determination he exhibited, he still had a ways to go before he made Chunin. Luck could only get you so far.

But, surprisingly, Ume had never seen her brother bring home a registration form. Had Kakashi changed his mind, and decide not to enter his team? Ever since the day Ume had explained to him and Konohamaru why there were so many foreign shinobi in the village, Ototo had been ecstatic at the idea of the exams. But, Kakashi hadn't given any indication of what he was up to.

"Alright, Snowflake, let's hurry and go report in," said Anko, breaking Ume out of her pondering, "I need my dango."

"You'd better not skip out on your bill again, 'cause I'm not paying for it again," warned Ume.

"That was only one time," protested Anko, "I forgot my wallet!"

"It was _three_ times!" snorted Ume, "And you didn't forget, I saw you by some sake earlier!"

Anko snagged Ume in a headlock and proceeded to drag the flailing white-haired girl by her head, "Quite, you."

"Ume-nee-chan! Psycho-sensei!"

Both kunoichi paused in the middle of their playful scuffle to see blur of yellow and orange barreling towards them. Unable to stop his momentum (or was too excited to try), Naruto tackled the two kunoichi to the ground and shoved a sheet of paper in their faces, "Look, look! I'm gonna' be a Chunin, believe it!"

Ume stared in silent horror at the seemingly innocent piece of paper; "Journeyman" printed on bold letters at the top of the page. 'You've got to be kidding!'

"Kakashi-sensei finally did it! He's finally letting us take the Chunin Exams!" cheered Naruto, even as Anko shoved him off of her, "Isn't it awesome?"

Ume's grin felt more like a grimace.

Ichiraku's was once again housing its two most frequent customers. After Anko had sent the two on their way, before heading for the Hokage Tower, Ume and Naruto decided to grab something to eat.

While the two Uzumaki siblings dug into their lunch, Naruto was jabbering on with excitement between mouthfuls of ramen.

"This *slurp* exam is gonna' be a snap! *slurp* I'll ace it, no problem!"

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Ume scolded lightly, "and don't get too cocky, either, Ototo. Believe me, the Chunin Exams aren't anything like becoming a Genin, it's serious business. People die in these exams!"

"But _I _won't," said Naruto confidently, "With you and Psycho-sensei training me, there's no way I can fail! Besides, I'm going to be Hokage someday, I can't back down from something just because it's tough!"

"That's all and good, but you should listen to your sister, Naruto," said Teuchi, the elderly ramen chef, "Ume's been to these exams before, so she knows how things work."

Naruto barely registered the old chef's words, as he happily linked arms with Ume, "Don't worry Nee-chan, I can do it! I promise that I'll make it through these exams, believe it!"

Ume stared at the fist that Naruto had offered her, and couldn't help but smile at her brother's antics. She tapped his fist with her own.

"An Uzumaki never goes back on their word."

Naruto rushed as fast as he could towards the academy, registration form clenched tightly in his fist. The night before, Nee-chan had helped him fill it out (she had better handwriting than him) and had made him go to bed early, too. Which was probably a good thing, because he had been way too excited to fall asleep right away.

After a good breakfast together (made by Ume) this morning, Nee-chan had gone off somewhere, saying that she had to meet up with Psycho-sensei. Naruto wasn't all that worried about it though, he was too pumped to think about anything but today's exams!

Finally reaching his destination, Naruto easily picked out Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme standing in front of the round building, waiting for him.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan!" greeted Naruto cheerfully, "Are you ready for today?"

Sakura didn't answer, but her face betrayed her nervousness, and Sasuke looked no different than he always did. But this did nothing to curb Naruto's enthusiasm.

Making their way inside the academy, Team 7 found themselves blocked by a wall of people, who were all crowded in a half circle around a closed door guarded by two Konoha Genin that Naruto had never seen before. Naruto suddenly frowned in confusion, and looked over his shoulder at back the way they came.

"What's wrong?" asked Sakura.

"Uh, didn't Kakashi-sensei say that we where supposed to go to room 301?" asked Naruto, scratching his head.

"Of course he did, weren't you paying attention?" sighed the pinkette.

Naruto looked back again, "Then how come everybody's waiting here? I only remember going up _two_ flights of stairs…."

Team seven looked at the sign above the door that everyone was crowded around. 301 was printed in big black numbers.

"Genjutsu," muttered Sasuke, performing a one-handed ram seal, "Kai!"

The sign blurred like a mirage before revealing it's true reading: 201.

"Ha! I was right!" grinned Naruto happily.

The mismatched team made their way around the crowd, to the next flight of steps, but were stopped by a loud rambunctious voice, "Yosh! Naruto-san, I didn't expect to see you here, today!"

Stairs and teammates temporarily forgotten, Naruto happily spun around to match the ear-to-ear grin of the vice that had sounded off from the crowd.

"Yo, Bushy-brow, long time, no see!" Naruto cheerfully greeted the green spandex-wearing Genin, "How've ya' been?"

Twitching slightly at the nickname, Rock Lee returned the greeting with as much gusto as ever, "I have been well, thank you, Naruto-kun. You and Ume-senpai _must_ train with my team and I again soon, so that we may fan our flames of youth to be brighter than ever!"

The only thing that Naruto understood from Lee's speech was the word "train", everything else just went through one ear and out the other. So, Naruto just grinned brightly to cover up his ignorance of elaborate speaking.

"Lee, I thought we agreed that we should not draw any unnecessary attention to ourselves," said Neji, approaching the group with his trademark blank scowl.

Neji was the only person Naruto new who could have a blank face and scowl at the same time. It was kind of neat.

"Your rambunctiousness is already getting out of hand," glared the Hyuga.

"But, I…" Lee stopped when he laid eyes on Sakura.

To Naruto's horror, a slight blush appeared across Lee's cheeks, and the bowl-cut Genin marched right up to the pinked-haired girl, "Hi there, I'm Rock Lee! May I inquire your name?"

"Uh…Sakura Haruno."

Lee gave a thumbs-up and flashed a gleaming white smile, "Sakura-chan, please go out with me, I'll protect you with my life!"

Naruto made a sound of protest and Sakura grimaced in plain disgust, "No way! Sasuke-kun is the only one for me!"

Lee slumped at the immediate rejection, while Naruto battled with conflicting emotions. On one hand, Naruto was happy that Sakura-chan turned down a date with Lee, but on the other, the pinkette had still chosen Sasuke-teme over him!… Also, Naruto felt a little bad for Lee, because he knew all to well what it was like to be shot down by the girl you liked.

"Come on, guys," Tenten suddenly interjected, "Lets get going already, we're going to be late."

Remembering why they were all there, the two teams made their way to the third floor.

Ume fittled with a kunai as she and Anko lounged on the rooftop of the academy, waiting for the part one of the exams to be over, so that Anko could take over as proctor. But, looking at the time, the first exam hadn't even started yet, so the two kunoichi still had quite a while to wait.

"Hey, sensei?" asked Ume, twirling a kunai, "I can't believe I haven't asked you this yet, but who's the proctor for the first exam, anyway?"

Taking a sip of her sake, Anko grinned feral-y and chuckled, "I'm surprised you haven't asked either. But, are you _sure_ you want to know? What, with Fishcake being the one who is taking the test, and all?"

"Um…yes?" said Ume nervously. Why did sensei always have to do this to her?

Anko's smile grew wider, "I'll give you a little hint: you've trained a bit with him before… and he can be just as sadistic as me."

As sadistic as Anko? Ume went through a mental list of everyone she knew, trying to think of the one who matched Anko's description. After thinking it over, the cold feeling of dread dropped itself into Ume's gut.

"Oh, no… you don't mean..?"

"Oh, I mean."

'Shit!

**AN:** I know nothing really happened in this chapter, I really don't like it myself, but I did what I had to. Remember, reviews motivate me to write faster. Also, any ideas for future events and such are encouraged. =^.^=

**Japanese/Jutsu List:**

**-Genjutsu: **Illusion Technique

**- Kai:** Release/ Cancel


	27. Ch26: Stress

-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 26:

Stress

Naruto's day had just gotten fifty percent better; On their way to the real room 301, Bushy-brow had gone and challenged Sasuke-teme to a fight (wanting to look good in front of Sakura-chan), and went and totally kicked the teme's ass!

Naruto snickered giddily at the memory, besides the fact that Bushy-brow was trying to steel Sakura-chan, Naruto's only regret was that _he_ wasn't the one that handed the Uchiha his ass to him.

Finally reaching the designated door, Naruto nearly did a double take when he pushed open the door. The two Genin teams had come face-to-face with a roomful of hostile glares. Over a hundred individuals filled the room; a mixture of Genin hailing from several different hidden villages. 'Wow.'

"Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto cringed when the squealing voice of a blonde kunoichi assaulted his eardrums. The girl had come out of nowhere and had immediately pounced on Sasuke-teme. Blech!

"Hey! Get your dirty hooves off Sasuke-kun, Ino-pig!" raged Sakura.

"Hello to you too, Billboard-brow," sneered Ino, keeping her arms around an annoyed Sasuke's neck, "But, shouldn't little girls be home, playing with dollies? You should run along before you hurt yourself."

"Why, you-!"

"Will you keep it down, already? Troublesome woman…" droned a board voice.

The group was approached by a droopy-eyed boy with a spiky ponytail, and a chunky boy who was noisily munching away on a bag of chips.

"Shut up, you lazy bum!" growled Ino, having dislodged herself from the Uchiha, "You've done nothing but complain the whole time we've been here!"

""Hnn, troublesome."

"No way, you guys are all here, too? All nine rookies together, again!" jeered a feral, tattooed Genin, with a little white puppy perched on his head.

The ever-growing group of Genin was again approached by another familiar team: Team 10. Naruto remember all of the other rookies from his days back at the academy, both the good and the bad. The orange-wearing Genin had had a good time getting into trouble with three in particular: Kiba, Shikamaru, and Choji (Even though he always got an earful from Nee-chan afterwards.).

Kiba Inuzuka was almost as loud as Naruto was at times, rambunctious, and liked to throw his weight around, and was also never seen without his faithful nin-ken, Akamaru. But, despite his annoying rough exterior, the Inuzuka was loyal and great when it came to just having a good time.

Shikamaru Nara on the other hand, had a personality that was the complete opposite of Kiba. He was by far the laziest Genin ever to crawl out of the academy (Naruto still couldn't figure out how Shikamaru graduated with better grades than him.), and if the boy wasn't sleeping or laying around looking at the clouds, he was complaining about anything and everything. But, since he tolerated Naruto's presents and didn't avoid him like many of their other classmates, he was ok in Naruto's book.

Then there was Shikamaru's food-loving best friend, Choji Akimichi. During their time in the academy, Naruto had learned very quickly to never call the overweight boy "fat", "chubby", or anything in the like, unless he had a death wish. Naruto shivered at the memory of being pumbled into the ground by the raging "big-boned" Akimichi.

Naruto's attention was diverted elsewhere at the sound (that was steadily growing louder) of two bickering kunoichi. One of them being Shikamaru and Choji's teammate, Ino Yamanaka. To Naruto, the blonde kunoichi was nothing but another one of Sasuke-teme's loud and annoying fan girls (what's so special about him anyway?).

Quickly loosing interest it the two fighting fan girls, Naruto glanced over at Kiba's two quiet teammates: Shino Aburame and Hinata Hyuga.

Shino was a weird dude. He rarely spoke, and when he did it was barely five words at a time. Not to mention that the boy's face was always half-covered by his coat's high collar and he was always sporting a small pair of round shades, so that you could never read his expressions. Naruto remembered a time when he had cracked a joke about Shino's lack of peers, only for a weird buzzing noise to come from the Genin. Creepy.

Although Hinata was also very quiet, she didn't give off the "creepy-vibe" that Shino did. But, whenever Naruto would actually talk to her, the girl would always just blush and stutter while poking her fingers together. Sometimes she would even pass out when he was around! Weird. When Naruto had told Ume-nee-chan about this, she just laughed and said that Hinata was "in-fat-shulated" (or something like that) with him, whatever that meant (it sounded painful). But, besides being kinda' weird, the shy Hyuga was nice enough.

"You know, it would really be in all of your best interests to pipe down. This isn't the academy, you know?" said a smooth voice.

The group of Konoha Genin looked up at the approaching newcomer. His hair was the same shade of silver as Kakashi's and was pulled back into a ponytail, and he wore a pair of round thin-framed glasses. Naruto's face scrunched up thoughtfully. Where had he seen this guy before?

"Who asked you?" snapped Ino, "Who are you, anyway?"

"The name's Kabuto," said the silver-haired Genin, pushing his glasses up his nose, "And if I were you I wouldn't draw too much attention to myself. Just look around."

Naruto did, and didn't like what he saw. Apparently the rookies' loud antics had irritated the other older Genin sharing the room. All of them wore annoyed scowls on their faces, and one group even looked like they wanted to attack them.

"You see those guys, there?" Kabuto gestured towards said group, "They're from Amegakure. Very touchy. _Everybody_ is, while waiting for the exams. So do yourself a favor and settle down."

Kabuto chuckled lightly, "But how could you know this? Your just rookies, after all. I remember what it was like during my first Chunin Exam."

"Wait, does that mean that this is your second time to take the exams?" asked Sakura.

"No," answered Kabuto, "It's my seventh. The Exams are biannual, so this is my fourth year."

'Wow, this guy sucks,' thought Naruto, 'Nee-chan made Chunin with only one try… wait!' "Hey, your that guy that went with Ume-nee-chan to the Chunin Exams last year!" Naruto knew he remembered the guy from somewhere.

"And you must be Naruto. Ume-chan spoke very highly of you," smirked Kabuto, pulling out a large stack of strange cards from his hip pouch, "Since you're Ume-chan's brother, I'll help you and your little friends out with my shinobi skill cards."

"What the heck are those?" asked Naruto, as the other eight rookies, as well as Team Guy gathered around Kabuto for a better look.

"Well, the past six Chunin Exams haven't been a complete waste of time," said Kabuto, kneeling down and placing the stack of cards on the ground, "I used the time to gather information about the exam and everyone who has ever entered it, and burn the information into the cards using chakra."

The Glasses-wearing Genin flipped over a card, only to reveal there to be nothing on it, "At first, they look completely blank, so that nobody can go snooping through them. But, once I push a little of my own chakra into them, and-" Kabuto placed a finger in the center of the card, and colors suddenly melted into existence on the card.

The ended up to be a map of the shinobi nations with numbers pointing to six of the Hidden Villages; Konoha, Suna, Ame, Kusa, Taki, and Oto.

"This particular card shows how many shinobi have been entered in this exam. In total, there are fifty-one teams," Explained Kabuto, "Otogakure is a new village that just recently popped up, so I don't have a lot of info on it, besides that they only sent one team to the exams. But, as far as I know, they're not much to think about."

Sasuke stepped forward, "Do you have any information on individuals?"

"Of course," said Kabuto, adjusting his glasses, "If you have any information on the person, I will gladly look them up for you."

"Sabaku no Gaara," said Sasuke. He quickly glanced to the side, "and Rock Lee." He ignored the looks he got from Team Guy.

"You know their names? That makes things a lot easier," Kabuto whipped out two cards from his deck and placed them before the Genin. He pointed to the first one, "First up, there's Rock Lee. He's a year older than the rest of you rookies, his sensei is Might Guy, and his teammates are Neji Hyuga and Tenten Hoseki. He excels in Taijutsu and has completed twenty D-Rank missions, and eleven C-Rank missions. Although he and his teammates graduated last year, this is their first time in the exams.

Next is Sabaku no Gaara, although I don't have much info on him. He hails from Sunagakure, and his overall abilities are an unknown. He has completed eight C-Rank mission and- wow- one B-rank! Rumors say that he has never received so much as a scratch from any of his missions. You're all going up against some really formidable shinobi this year."

Naruto gulped, 'Eesh, Nee-chan was right. There are some real doozies in this exam.' He glanced over at the crowd of scowling elder Genin, 'But there's no way that's gonna' make me back down, believe it! It's like Psycho-sensei said: "If someone throws a rock at you, throw a bigger rock, and if they throw an even bigger rock back at you, throw a kunai!" '

With that thought, Naruto puffed out his chest and pointed towards the other participants in the room, " Listen up! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm going to beat every one of you, Believe It!"

A pregnant silence fell over the room. The rookies could only look on in a mix of horror and annoyance at Naruto's loud display, while Naruto himself simply stood there looking quite proud of himself.

Naruto's bold declaration was so loud that the sound had carried all the way outside, to where two kunoichi still happened to be lounging on the academy's roof.

Anko cracked up laughing when she heard Naruto's shout, and Ume face-palmed, but couldn't keep the amused grin off of her face. On one hand, Ume was horrified that Naruto was already making enemies (intentional or otherwise) and the exams hadn't even started yet! But, on the other hand, Ototo's guts and spirit was something to be admired, and Ume couldn't begrudge him from trying to stand out.

"Oh, man, that was rich!" chortled Anko, wiping a tear from her eye, "I'm gonna' have so much fun with the little Gaki after Ibiki is done with him!"

Ume grimaced; Ibiki. The white-haired kunoichi had nearly gone into cardiac arrest when Anko had told her that the scarred head of T.I. was the first proctor of the exams. The man was a sadist in his own right (second only to Anko). While Psycho-sensei could break apart somebody physically, Ibiki broke them apart _mentally_. He could make the hardest enemy shinobi crack and spill his guts without ever touching them. Ume shuddered at the thought that if Ibiki could make a veteran shinobi snap, what chance did a bunch of Genin have against the man?

"I just want to get him back with his sanity intact," sighed Ume.

After a quick scuffle between Kabuto and a Team from Oto, a large cloud of smoke suddenly exploded in the front of the room.

"Alright you baby-face degenerates, shut up, and listen up!" boomed a voice as the smoke cleared, revealing a large scarred man in a trench coat, along with a dozen or so uniformed Chunin.

"I' am Ibiki Morino, your proctor for this first exam," The Head Tokubetsu Jonin introduced himself, "and from this moment on, your worst enemy." Naruto felt a shiver go down his spine.

Ibiki pointed at the three Oto-nin, "You three, knock it off! Do you want to be disqualified before you even get started?"

A hunched, mummy-like Oto Genin looked at the Jonin, "Sorry, it's our first exam. We just got a little excited, that's all."

"I guess it's time I laid down a few ground rules," sneered Ibiki, "From this point forward, there will be no more fighting without the express permission of the proctor… and even if that permission is granted, anything that endangers another applicant's life is strictly forbidden."

"Well, that's no fun," smirked a spiky-haired Oto Genin, "This test is for little sissies."

"If anyone here decides they want to break that rule, you're out," glared the scarred proctor, "I'm the law here, and what I say goes. Got that?"

When none of the applicants commented further, Ibiki spoke again, "Alright, the first test of the Chunin Exams is now commencing. Turn in your written applications, take one of these seating assignment cards, and report directly to the seat indicated. When everyone is seated, we'll pass out the written part of the test."

Naruto stood frozen on the spot. 'Did … he just say…?'

"A written test?" wailed Naruto in horror.

Naruto banged his head against the desk. Why was this happening? Why was Kami punishing him like this? Naruto was _terrible_ at written tests, it was one of the things that had killed him in the academy. He could never sit still long enough to memorize then remember so much information. Just the _sight _of the paper made his mind blank out!

"Um… N-Naruto-kun..?" squeaked a meek voice sitting next to him.

Naruto lifted his head off of the desk to look at said person, but, his test had stuck to his forehead, blocking his view. Growling irritably, Naruto grabbed the test and slammed it back on his desk, to see that it was Hinata that had said his name. 'Man, I didn't even see her there.'

"Oh, hey, Hinata. What's up?"

The girl blushed and poked her index fingers together in a nervous habit. "Umm.. Well, I j-just w-wanted to say… um.. Let's d-do our best," she smiled shyly.

Naruto blinked before grinning, "You bet!"

"Alright, listen up!" Ibiki called to attention, "Before you begin, there are a few rules that pertain to this test. I'm not taking any questions, so listen carefully. I'm only going to say this once."

Ibiki turned to the blackboard behind him and began to write, "Rule one: Everyone of you starts the test with ten points. The test has ten questions, each worth one point. For each question you get wrong, you'll lose one point.

Rule two: This written test is still a team event. Passing or failing will be determined by the sum of all of the points held by the tree members of a team. The object is for each team to hold onto as many points as possible for the highest joint total."

Sakura raised her hand in the air, "Wait a second! What do you-"

"Didn't you hear me when I said no questions asked?" asked Ibiki, not even bothering to look at the pinkette, "Shut up and listen. You might learn something.

Rule three: If, during the course of the exam, an applicant is caught cheating, they will automatically lose two points. In other words, if you are caught five times, you be disqualified and asked to leave, along with the rest of your team. So, do try anything, 'cause we'll be watching you like hawks." Ibiki gestured to the Chunin holding clipboards sitting along the edges of the room.

Ibiki turned to face the applicants, "If you aspire to become Chunin, if you want to be the best shinobi you can be- then you'd better start acting like you already are!"

'Get a hold of yourself,' Naruto coached himself, 'Sakura-chan (and Sasuke-teme) are smart enough to get a bunch of points for us, even _if_ a completely bomb this.'

"On more thing-" continued Ibiki, "If any individual loses all ten of his or her points, then that person's entire team fails, regardless of how many points the other two members may have."

'What?' Naruto wailed inside his mind. He suddenly felt a cold shiver go down his spine, 'Oh, man, I can feel both Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme wanting to kill me already!'

"You have one hour-" said Ibiki, "starting… now!"

The sounds of shuffling paper filled the room as everybody flipped over their tests to begin. Naruto scratched his head and began to coach himself again.

'Ok, you can do this. It's just like Ume-nee-chan said: The trick is to not show any fear, tests can smell fear! Remain calm, don't try to do everything at once. Just try and find the easiest question, separate it from the herd, and take it down. Ok, first question-'

Question 1: Decode the following cipher and summarize its meaning.

Naruto stared at the question for a few seconds before moving on, 'Ok, next question.'

Question 2: The parabola marked "B" represents the greatest effective distance the enemy shinobi, "A", could throw a shuriken from the top of a 23.3-foot-tall tree. Calculate the specific features of the scenario and deduce the range of the shuriken's effectiveness, assuming a constant speed for shinobi "A"' s assault upon any enemy shinobi operating within the arc that the flight of the shuriken describes. Show your work.

Question 3:-

Naruto began to panic as he continued to read down the list of questions, beads of sweat forming on his brow. Dropping the paper like it was on fire, he grabbed his head in horrified frustration, 'Each question is even harder than the one before it! Man, I'm totally. Seriously. Fatally. Screwed! What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?'

Naruto slumped in his seat and clutched his head, 'My only hope is to cheat and not get caught!'

**AN:** I know, not a very eventful chapter, but more exciting stuff is just ahead, so bear with me. -.-; Reviews will be used to feed my muse! =^.^=

**Japanese/ Jutsu List: **

**- Nin-ken: **ninja hound

**- Amegakure:** Village Hidden in the Rain

**- Konoha: **Leaf

**- Suna: **Sand

**- Ame: **Rain

**- Kusa: **Grass

**- Taki: **Waterfall

**- Oto: **Sound

**- Otogakure:** Village Hidden in the Sound

**- Sunagakure:** Village Hidden in the Sand


	28. Ch27: Underneath the Underneath

-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 27:

Underneath the underneath

"Hey, Snowflake. What do you say to a little wager?" grinned Anko.

"Huh?" Ume looked up from where she was organizing her projectile weapons.

Anko's grin turned feral as she draped an arm over Ume's shoulders, "Lets have a bet on how many teams will make it through Ibiki's little test. Whoever guesses closest, wins."

Ume's eyes calculatingly narrowed at her sensei, "What's the catch?"

"Simple: loser has to buy lunch today for the winner!" informed Anko.

Ume snorted in bemusement, "So in other words: if I lose I'll just end up doing what I usually end up doing with you around? Only this time, you'll have a legitimate reason to dump the food bill on me."

Anko gasped in mock offense. "Would I ever do such a thing?" she asked in mock-innocents.

"Yes," deadpanned Ume.

Anko huffed, "Whatever, gaki, just place your bet."

"You first."

"Fine," said Anko, "Hmm, lets see, there are fifty-one teams this year, so… I say one-third of the teams make past old Ibiki. How about you?"

Ume thought about it. Well, from a logical prospective, Ume doubted even a _third_ of the teams would make it past Ibiki. It was a terrible thing to think, considering that her Ototo was taking the exam, but from all of the gruesome stories she had heard about the scarred proctor, as well as her own personal experience with the man, the odds were definitely against the Genin this year. Ibiki could make someone have a mental breakdown simply by continuously adding pressure after pressure to a person's mind, until they finally would just spill their guts for some relief. No, no way even a third could make it.

'Hmmm, well there are exactly nine rookies entering from Konoha this year, so…' "I bet only nine teams will make it through round one this year," Ume finally said.

Anko whistled, "That's a pretty steep bet there, Snowflake. Don't have much confidence for the gakis?"

"I'm just trying to be realistic," defended Ume.

"Whatever. Just remember, no take-backs when the results are in," said Anko.

"The same goes for you, sensei," countered Ume, as the two shook hands to seal the bet.

Sasuke starred at the questions on his test, and quietly clicked his tongue; he had no idea how to answer any one of these questions. He then silently glanced up at the Chunin proctors lining the walls of the room.

'They're watching us like hawks,' Noted Sasuke, as he watched a Chunin suddenly scribble something down on his clipboard, 'The axe just fell somewhere.'

Sasuke looked back at his test and began to think, 'They give us questions that are nearly impossible for a Genin to understand, let alone answer, along with such extremes to make sure we don't cheat. Tch, it's almost like they _want _us to cheat.' Sasuke then jolted in realization, 'Wait a minute!' He then went over everything Ibiki had told them about the test, 'That's it! We're _supposed _to cheat, and not get caught!' He nearly slapped himself at the simplicity of it.

Sasuke glanced over at his two other teammates. Sakura he wasn't too worried about; although she may be totally useless in an actual fight, she did graduate the academy with the highest book-smarts. Naruto, on the other hand… Sasuke could practically drowning in his seat. 'Come on, Dobe, figure it out.'

The Uchiha then turned his attention back to his own problems, how was _he_ going to cheat? If only he had his Sharingan awakened, then it would be easy! He glanced looked around the room using only his eyes, trying to see if he could spot anyone else cheating.

The first one he noticed was Kiba. The boy's dog, Akamaru, was perched on his head, looking around at all of the applicants. The puppy would then let out a soft series of yips and growls, and Kiba would smirk and scribble something down on his test. Neji had also figured it out, as his Byakugan was now active; the veins on temples bulging.

Sasuke then noticed Ino suddenly slump forward in her seat, as if she had fallen asleep. Not seconds later, Sakura, too, slumped over, only to right herself and begin to read over her own test. After a minute or so, the pinkette slumped again and sat up again, looking a little dazed. Ino then twitched and sat up in her own seat, looking victorious, before writing on her own test.

Then, there was the Suna-nin, Gaara. One hand lay palm-up on the desk, while pressing two fingers of his other hand to his closed left eye; a look of concentration on his face. Sasuke watched as sand began to form into a small round shape in the Suna-nin's open hand. But, before he could get a good look at it, Gaara crushed the object in his fist. A light trail of sand drifted towards another Genin in the center of the room. Said Genin suddenly dropped his pencil and furiously began rubbing his eyes, as if he had something in them. While the Genin was preoccupied, the sand formed into a floating eye in front of the Genin's test, swiveling to look at everything that was written on the paper.

Sasuke smirked, it looked like some people had a few fancy tricks up their sleeves in this exam. The Uchiha ground his teeth together. But, this still didn't help Sasuke figure out how _he_ was going to cheat.

"Applicant 31, your out! Take your teammates, and go!" called on of the Chunin proctors.

The boy seated in front of Sasuke stood up and followed his two complaining teammates out of the room. Sasuke managed to sneak a few answers off of the paper in front of him, before it was taken up by a proctor. In all, he managed to answer three. It wasn't much, but t would have to do.

Naruto really started to panic when the proctors began shouting out numbers and the room slowly started to empty itself. If so many people were being caught cheating, what chance did _he_ have to not get caught? Naruto groaned and mussed his hair agitation, how the hell was he going to get out of this one?

"N-Naruto-kun…" whispered a small voice to Naruto's right.

Naruto looked over to see Hinata looking at him from the corner of her eye.

"Y-you can… look at m-my paper.. if you w-want," whispered the pale-eyed girl.

'Huh?' Naruto blinked in surprise, completely taken aback by the offer. But, he quickly became suspicious. Hinata wasn't the type of girl to pull a dirty trick, but if Kiba or someone had pressured her into it…

"Why are you helping me, huh?" whispered Naruto.

Hinata blushed and began twitling her fingers, "Um.. I-it's just…I…you…" she gulped, "I d-don't want you… t-to have to leave s-so soon, N-Naruto-kun."

Naruto stared at her in confusion.

Looking flustered, Hinata continued, "I-I mean, us r-rookies s-should stick together… w-we'll have a b-bigger advantage t-that way…"

"Oh… I guess that makes sense.' Thought Naruto, grinning at his luck. 'Good thing Hinata is sitting next to me.

Right as Naruto was about to glance over at Hinata's paper, a kunai whizzed passed him and Hinata, impaling into the paper of a Genin seated behind them.

"That's strike five," said Ibiki, "You and your team are out of here."

'How did he _know_?' wailed Naruto's mind.

"Thanks, Hinata, but I can't," whispered Naruto, having lost all his willingness to cheat.

"..But…"

"Besides, if I get busted, I don't want you to have to pay for helping me," continued Naruto.

Hinata's blush darkened as she turned back to her own paper, "O-ok… sorry…"

"No problem," replied Naruto cheerfully. But, on the inside he was crying, 'I'm screwed. Why did I have to act all noble?'

He looked down at his own paper, at where question ten should have been:

Question 10 will not be provided until forty-five minutes into the exam. At this time, please answer the proctor's question to the best of your ability.

Naruto glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. There was still thirty minutes left for the exam. 'At this point, the tenth question is my only hope.'

His plan set, Naruto sat stiffly, waiting for the time when the tenth question would be revealed, all the while flinching every time one of the proctors would call out an applicant's number. At one point the makeup-wearing Genin that had picked on Konohamaru, raised his hand and asked to go to the bathroom. After receiving permission, he was escorted out of the room by one of the proctors.

Finally, with only fifteen minutes left in the test, Ibiki spoke up, "Alright, get ready for the tenth question-!"

Before Ibiki could continue, Kankuro and the Chunin proctor returned from the restroom. Walking passed his female teammate, the Suna-nin returned to his seat.

"As I was saying, it is time for the tenth question," said Ibiki, "However, before I get to the question itself, I'm adding one more new rule. This rule is absolute; First: You must choose whether to accept or reject the question."

"Choose? What do you mean?" piped up Temari.

Ibiki stared at her, "If you reject the question and don't even try to answer it, you will immediately lose all of your points, and fail. And both of your teammates will fail right along with you." The applicants all murmured at this.

"Then why the heck would anyone choose to refuse the question?" demanded Ino.

Ibiki smirked, "Because, if you choose to answer the question, and get it wrong, you will be barred from ever taking the Chunin Exams ever again." There was an uproar at this.

'What?' Naruto mentally shouted.

"That's bull!" shouted Kiba, pointing at Ibiki, "There are plenty of shinobi here that have been to these exams more than once!"

Ibiki chuckled darkly, "Well, you're just out of luck, because _I_ wasn't the one pulling the shots those past years. But, this year, what I say, goes. After all, you don't _have_ to take the question. Anyone who is having doubts would be smart to reject the tenth question right now, and come back and reapply next year.

Now, all of those who wish to reject the question, raise your hand. Once your number has been confirmed, you and your teammates are free to go."

Naruto ground his teeth as perspiration began to collect under his hitai-ite, 'What kinda of stupid question could it be? If I get I wrong, I'll be stuck a Genin for the rest of my life, I can't have that happen! But, I can't just refuse the question! Ugh, and what about Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme?'

One by one (as Naruto was having his psychological battle) hands began to rise and numbers called, as people slowly started to file out of the room, having finally cracked under the pressure of the threat hanging over their heads. Shuddering the entire time, Naruto's hand slowly creeped into the air, much to his teammates' surprise.

Ibiki stared at him as Naruto didn't say anything or make a move to leave either, "Well, what's it gonna' be?"

Naruto slammed his hand down hard, and placed a foot on top of the desk, "Don't ever underestimate me! I never give up, and I never run away! I'll accept your damn question! I don't care if I'm stuck a Genin for the rest of my life, I'll still be Hokage one day! Believe it! You can't scare _me_ away, so do your worst, Scar-face!"

Ibiki starred at him for a moment, "I'll ask you one more time. This decision could effect the rest of your life. Quit now, while you still have the chance."

Naruto grinned fiercely, "I said what I meant, and I never go back on my word. That's my nindo."

The remains applicants seemed to take courage from Naruto's words and hardened their resolve. Seeing this, Ibiki decided not to drag it out any longer.

"Very well, all of those who remain-" boomed Ibiki, "-pass the first test of the Chunin Exams!"

A pregnant silence fell over the room. What?

"W-what do you mean "pass"?" demanded Sakura, "What about the tenth question?"

"There is no tenth question," grinned Ibiki, "Beyond the whole "accept" or "reject" thing."

"Then, why did you make us suffer through the other ten questions?" raged Temari, "They were a total waste of time!"

"Those questions had a purpose, which they've already served," informed Ibiki patiently, "They were for testing your skills at spying."

At some of the applicants' confused looks, Ibiki explained, "Remember the rule I gave at the beginning? You pass or fail as part of a three-man cell. With that rule, you were pressured with the fear that anything you did wrong would bring your teammates down with you.

However, the questions are beyond the level that mere Genin could be expected to answer, so most of you, having reached the same conclusion, had only one way of retaining your points: by cheating. In other words: we set up the test on the assumption that you _would _cheat, and to ensure there would be suitable targets for you to cheat from, we snuck in a pair of Chunin with you guys, who already knew all of the answers."

'What? Aw, man!' Naruto couldn't believe it. "Heh, heh, yeah, it was obvious! Any idiot could figure it out!" Naruto's bravado slipped a little when he heard Hinata giggle softly beside him.

"Of course, anyone who cheated in a clumsy or obvious way, failed," said Ibiki, untying his bandana. Pulling the fabric off, Ibiki revealed to the room his massively scarred head.

Naruto shuddered at the sight of it. There wasn't any hair to be seen, and the man's head was completely covered in long slash marks, burn scars, and large puncture wounds. Naruto gulped, this guy had been tortured!

Letting everyone get a good look at his head, Ibiki's tone turned serious, "There may be circumstances where being caught in an act of espionage can cost you more than your life. You pay in ways that can be taken from you little by little, time and time again, when many lives hang in the balance."

Ibiki paused to tie his bandana back on before continuing, "The information you obtain can't be trusted, if you can't keep your presence secret from the enemy. Learn that, and learn it well. If you bring back intelligence from a suspect source or a compromised operation, you're doing your enemies' work for them, putting those you serve in danger.

That is why we maneuvered you into using your espionage skills to cheat. It was the quickest way of weeding out the Genin whose skills weren't up to snuff."

"…Okay, I get that. But, what was the deal with the tenth question?" asked Temari.

"Ah. The tenth question was the most _important _test on the exam," said Ibiki, "Let me explain. The tenth question was a choice between two options that were both difficult and dangerous. Those who chose to reject were failed, and there friends along with them. Those who chose to accept and couldn't answer the question, lost any chance to ever try again. It was a nasty, unfair, no-win set of options.

So why did I present them? Let's suppose that you all go on to successfully become Chunin. You are assigned to steal a vital enemy document, knowing nothing about the skills, deployment, or military preparedness of the enemy. You may have to cross a territory that has been heavily mined and set with traps. Now, do you accept your mission, or do you reject it? Rather than place your own life- or the lives of your companions in jeopardy? Could any Chunin get away with only taking safe jobs? Of course not!"

Naruto grinned and puffed out his chest as Ibiki continued, "No matter how dangerous the risk, there will be missions that you cannot decline. A shinobi must demonstrate valor that inspires those around him, helping all to overcome their fear."

Ibiki looked pointedly at Naruto before continuing, "This is the talent that we most value in the commander of a Chunin cell! Those who can't gamble with their own fate-who would trade today's certain risk for tomorrow's uncertain future, never taking the chance that lies before them- are weaklings who make only weak and easy decisions. In my opinion, they don't belong in the ranks of the Chunin at all!

By choosing to accept, you answered the almost-insoluble tenth question correctly. If you keep that spirit, you can probably conquer all of the many doubts and difficulties you'll face. You've passed the first hurdle. Part one of the Chunin Exams is now concluded. I'll pray you fight the good fight."

"Yeah, you do that! Go Pray!" cheered Naruto, still feeling pumped from passing the first test.

Ibiki chuckled lightly, this was an entertaining kid.

"Alright, it's time," said Anko, "You ready, Snowflake?"

"Ready!"

"Then let's do this thing!"

Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin when a large black object came hurdling through one of the classroom windows, shattering the glass and sending shards of it all over the room.

Two kunai launched out of the black object and stabbed into the ceiling, causing it to unfold and reveal two figures standing before a large black tarp with big white letters, that read: "Newly Arrived Second Chief Examination Officer, Anko Mitarashi." Under, in smaller letters it read: "and assistant, Ume Uzumaki."

"Alright, you maggots, none of you are in any position to celebrate!" announced Anko loudly, with Ume standing at her side, "I'm the second proctor for these exams, Anko Mitarashi! Time's a-wastin', people, let's go! Follow me!"

Nobody moved from their seats, all too stunned by this new arrival. It took everything Naruto had not to burst out laughing at the Tokubetsu Jonin. While, Ume grinned merrily at her sensei's slight embarrassment, as well as at the fact that Naruto was still her, which meant that he had passed the first test!

Ibiki peaked out from behind the tarp. "Can't you sense the mood in here?" he asked Anko.

"I think we might have jumped in a _little_ too soon here, sensei," smirked Ume.

Anko swatted her head, "Shad up!" She then examined the remaining participants for the exam, "Ibiki! You passed twenty-six teams? Obviously you went way to easy on them."

"Heh, or maybe we have more applicants with exceptional caliber this year," said Ibiki.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter, I still win the bet," smirked Anko (Ume pouted at this), "I guess it's up to me, I'll cut the number of teams down by half before the next test is done. Ohh, I'm getting charged up, just thinking about it! I'll explain things in detail as soon as we move to our next location, so follow me!"

The remaining teams, as well as the Chunin proctors, followed Anko out of the room, while Ume hung back.

Once the room was empty, Ibiki spoke, "Is there something you wanted?"

"How did he do?" asked Ume, knowing that Ibiki would know who she was referring to.

"To tell the truth I didn't think he would make it at first," he admitted, as he walked around the room, collecting up the tests, "He looked like he was going to bust an artery during nearly the entire test."

Ume winced at this, 'Poor, Ototo…'

"However…" continued Ibiki, "He's got a lot of guts, if nothing else. He can make other people have guts, as well. He's the reason why we had so many want to take the tenth question."

Ume smiled at this, both she and Anko had heard Naruto's declaration to Ibiki. He may be a big knucklehead, but he was _Ume's_ big knucklehead.

Ibiki paused after picking up another test, and after looking at the name at the top of the paper, he chuckled, "He's also the only person I know who can pass an exam with a completely blank answer sheet."

**Japanese/ Jutsu List:**

**- Dobe:** dead-last; moron; etc.

**- Sharingan:** Copy Wheel Eye; Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai

-** Byakugan:** All Seeing White Eye; Hyuga Clan's Kekkei Genkai

**- nindo:** a code that a ninja lives by; motto


	29. Ch28: To Survive

-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-

**A/N:** *bows down deeply* please forgive for the long wait! The real world can be very harsh sometimes. T.T Anyway, please enjoy this new installment.

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 28:

To Survive

It didn't take long for Ume to catch up with Psycho-sensei, as she lead the pack of Genin towards Training Ground forty-four. Then, after a few more minutes of walking, Ume once again found herself looking at the all to familiar chain-link fence that marked the entrance to the infamous Forest of Death.

While sensei let the Genin soak in the sights, Ume let her eyes trail along the crowd until she spotted the familiar bright yellow hair of her Ototo. Although Ume admitted that the nervous expressions of the other Genin were amusing, she really felt sorry for poor Naruto, as well as the mismatched Team Guy. Team Guy had witnessed the horrors of the dark forest first-hand, thanks to Psycho-sensei's "fun" game of "Catch the Snowflake", and although Naruto had never actually been inside of the training ground, he knew all about it from stories his sister had told him.

Anko finally stepped forward and smirked at the Genin before her, "Welcome, little piggies, to my person favorite training ground, Training Ground forty-four."

"Oh, man, this place gives me the creeps!" shuddered Sakura.

Anko chuckled darkly, having the same dislike of the pinkette as her student, "It should. We call it "The Forest of Death", and _your_ about to find out why."

Ume couldn't help but grin along with Anko, for once she was not at the receiving end of her sensei's sadistic "playfulness". But, apparently, Ototo wasn't as amused.

The little blonde fishcake planted his fists on his hips and did a little mock-jig. "They _call_ it the "_Forest of Death_", and _your_ about to find out _why_!" he repeated Anko's words in a mocking voice, before puffing out his chest and pointing at the Tokubetsu Jonin, "Do your worst, Psycho-sensei! I'm not afraid of you, believe it!"

Ume face-palmed; _why_ did Ototo have to go and open his big mouth? Ume had practically begged Anko not to pick on Naruto during the exam, but he had to go and ruin her hard work with his little sassy attitude. He should know better than to get Psycho-sensei riled up like that.

Anko's smile was _too_ friendly when she stared strait at the blonde Genin, and Naruto was having second thoughts about what he had blabbed to the snake-mistress. Then, faster than Naruto could blink, Anko launched a kunai at him, causing it slice his cheek and pin itself into the ground a few feet behind him. Everybody who happened to be near the blonde Genin flinched away, as Anko suddenly appeared behind Naruto and slung her arms around his shoulders.

"You know, Fishcake, you should know better than to say such things to dear Auntie Anko," purred the older kunoichi. Then, much to Ume's chagrin, Anko licked at the blood that was dripping from the cut on Naruto's cheek, "With that kind of attitude, you'll end up loosing some of this luscious blood-"

Anko stopped mid-sentence to whip out another kunai and half-turn (still holding onto Naruto) towards a Kusa-Genin that had approached her from behind.

"I believe you dropped this-" this Kusa-nin said in a slick voice, sporting a super-long tongue that held onto the kunai that Anko had thrown earlier, "your kunai."

"Gee, thanks," said Anko, snatching back the weapon, not at all perturbed by the unnatural, slimy appendage, "But, unless you've got a death-wish, don't stand so close behind me radiating bloodlust."

"My apologies," replied the Kusa-nin after letting his tongue slither back into his mouth, and turning away, "I just got a little excited at the sight of fresh blood being spilt."

Ume shivered, it looked like there were a few blood-thirsty people in this exam (Anko-sensei being one of them). Speaking of which; "Sensei! Stop molesting my Ototo, and lets get this over with!"

"Alright, alright!" sighed Anko, giving Naruto one last affectionate slap on the back, before returning to her original spot in front of the Genin (Leaving Naruto to wipe his cheek of blood and Anko slobber), "But before we begin, there's something that I need all of you to sign…"

Ume took that as her cue. Reaching into her Chunin vest, she pulled out a slightly wrinkled stack of papers and handed them to Anko, who held them up for everyone to see.

"What are they?" asked a random Genin.

"Consent forms," replied Anko, handing the papers to Naruto, to take one and pass them off to the next Genin. "We want all of the little details covered before the first deaths happen," Anko said before smiling sweetly, "So, sign before you go in, so that Konoha can't be held liable. You wouldn't want me to get into trouble would you?"

Ume rolled her eyes, before her sensei continued to address the crowd, "First, I'll explain the second exam, Then you can sign the forms. Once you do, with the other two members of your team, bring your forms to the hunt behind me and submit them." Anko pointed at the small wooden hut that was curtained off in the front, to prevent anyone from seeing inside.

"Now, about the exam," Said Anko, "To put it simply, it's a-

no-holds-barred survival test."

"Survival test from hell-" Anko smacked Ume in the back of the head (cutting off her sentence), without ever changing her expression or taking her eyes off of the crowd, "Anyway, lets start with the topography of the training ground itself. Snowflake, your up!"

Rubbing the spot that Anko had smacked her, Ume stepped forward to address the Genin, "Right, well, this particular, hellish training ground is surrounded by a series of forty-four locked gates."

Ume pulled out a map scroll from her vest and held it up for the Genin to see, "At the center of the forest is a tower, it is roughly six miles from each gate. Inside this training ground, you will undergo your second test, during which you're allowed to use any shinobi arts and tools in your disposal. Anything goes in this test… that includes-"

"That includes killing," Anko finished for her. "I guess you can think of it as a fight-to-the-death version of 'capture-the-flag', or in this case, 'capture-the-scroll'," she continued, pulling out two different colored scrolls from the pockets of her coat, "Each team will be given either an "Earth" scroll or a "Heaven" scroll. Your objective will be to acquire both scrolls and bring them both to the tower in the center."

"There is also a time limit," said Ume, "You will have one hundred-twenty hours to do this, which gives you exactly five days."

"Five days? What will we do for food?" exclaimed Choji in horror.

"That's _your_ problem," huffed Ume, not liking the attitude of the rookies, "The forest is full of plenty of things to eat."

"Of course, there's also plenty of man-eating beasts, deadly insects, and poisonous plants in there, too," smirked Anko.

'Of course Psycho-sensei would bring _that_ up…' both Uzumaki siblings thought sullenly.

"Remember this, though: Things will only get harder the longer you're in there. You'll be surrounded by enemies at all times, and you'll have to sleep with one eye open."

'If at all' thought Ume bitterly.

"So, in addition to any of you who happen to die from attempts to defend or capture a scroll, some of you are bound to succumb to exhaustion, exposure, starvation, or dehydration."

Swallowing, Naruto grimaced, 'Jeez, Psycho-sensei sure knows how to lay it on thick…'

"Alright, you've had enough fun, sensei," grumbled Ume, tired of Anko reminding her about how much danger Naruto was going to be in during this test, "Lets just get down to the actual rules now, ok?"

"Ah, you're no fun, Snowflake," pouted Anko, "Fine, lets talk about what can get you disqualified in this test!"

The snake mistress began ticking off the reasons on her fingers, "Obviously, all three-man teams that fail to reach the tower on time, carrying both scrolls, any team that looses a member, whether it be to death or severe injury. Also, under no circumstances can you leave the forest before the time is up. No recesses, no time-outs."

The last rule seemed to bum-out a hand full of Genin.

"Also, you're forbidden to look inside of the scrolls until you're inside of the tower," added Ume.

"Umm, what happens if we sneak a peek?" asked Naruto.

"Well, that spoil the surprise. We'll just let the threat hang over heads," said Anko cheerfully, "Besides, if any of you (how unlikely it may be) make it to Chunin level, there will be times when you'll be trusted with documents that you're not allowed to "sneak a peek" at. So, consider it a test of your trustworthiness."

"That's all the info I'm gonna give you snips," said Anko, "We'll trade one scroll for every three forms. When you've got yours, go to your assigned gate, and you will all start at the same time."

"Um, do you have any last-minute advice for us?" asked Sakura, raising her hand.

"Advice?" Anko thought for a moment, "…Yeah, don't die!"

The teams then began to bustle about, signing consent forms and trading them in for scrolls inside of the curtained-off hut. When Konoha's Team 7 were on their way to their gate, Ume discreetly pulled Naruto aside.

"Be careful out their, Ototo," Ume told him seriously, "If you run into something that's gonna get you or your teammates killed, you get out of there fast."

"Are you kidding me? I'm never gonna run away, believe it!" fought Naruto stubbornly, "It goes against my Nindo!"

"This test isn't about bravery or being a hero, Naruto," frowned Ume, "It's about survival."

Naruto crossed his arms stubbornly and puffed his cheeks in annoyance.

Ume sighed, "Look, Ototo, it's not that I don't think you'll do great in this exam, it's just that I don't want anything bad happen to you, you know that, right?"

"…Yeah, I know, Nee-chan," said Naruto, a small grin reluctantly appearing on his face, "But, if I'm ever going to be Hokage, I've got to be the best there is! I have to _prove_ to everybody that I'm the best!"

Ume sighed again, there was just no getting to him, "Just promise me that you'll be careful."

"I promise, Nee-chan," grinned Naruto, giving his sister a quick hug, before running off to join his teammates.

Ume watched him go and stumbled forward when Anko appeared behind her and playfully smacked her on the back.

"Ah, don't worry, Snowflake! That gaki may be a bonehead, but he can't be put down that easy. He's too stubborn for that!" cheered the older kunoichi, "Besides, if anything does happen to our dear little Fishcake, my snakes can track down the ones that did it."

Ume smirked playfully at her sensei, "Awwwww, so you _do_ have a soft side in you, sensei! Does somebody need a hug?"

Anko bopped her on top of her head. "Shat up! If anyone's going soft, it's you! I'm going to have to double- no, triple-time your training when this is all over."

**A/N: **R&R plez! =^.^=

**Japanese/ Jutsu List:**

**- Kusa:** Grass

**- Nindo:** motto of shinobi


	30. Ch29: Snake in the Grass

-White Plum Hidden in the Leaves-

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me, only the OCs that I created.

Chapter 29:

Snake in the Grass

Sensei and student relaxed atop the wooden hut that sat outside of the Forest of Death. About two minutes had passed since the Genin teams had entered the forest, and peace had already been interrupted by a high-pitched scream coming from the dark training ground.

"Well, that was fast," commented Anko, munching happily on one of the many sticks of dango Ume had been forced to buy for loosing their bet.

'I've got to stop making bets with sensei' thought Ume glumly. Her wallet was really feeling the sting of today's losses.

"So… want to make a bet on the outcomes of _this_ test?" asked Anko innocently, throwing a clean dango stick at a nearby tree.

"No!"

"Man, lets get to the tower already, before that psychopath decides to come after _us _next!" panted Kiba.

Team 10 had been running for their lives for the past twenty minutes. Things had been going great for Team 10 when the second test had first started; they had barely left their assigned gate before they had found a team that had been carrying the scroll that they had needed. But, that had all changed, while on their way to the tower.

The three rookies had come across a face-off between a team of Ame-nin and a team from Suna. Hiding in some nearby bushes, Kiba (and Akamaru), Hinata, and Shino had watched in horror as the red-headed Suna-nin (whose teammates had called 'Gaara') massacred all three Ame-nin by crushing them into bloody pulps with sand! Afterwards he had even threatened to kill his own two teammates if they got in his way. The three Konoha Genin had never been so scared in their lives!

After they were sure that the Suna team had left, Team 10 ran like they had fire on their heels. They're only priority was to get to the tower, where it was safe.

"Wait!" The timid Hyuga heiress called the team to a halt.

"What is it, Hinata?" asked Kiba nervously, "Is it that sand guy again?"

"N-no," answered Hinata, her Byakugan activated, "It's a g-giant s-snake."

"Snake?" Kiba made a face.

"…Is it coming this way?" asked Shino in his typical monotone voice.

"I-I think it is sleeping," confirmed Hinata.

She pushed her vision further to make sure. The monstrous snake was indeed asleep, by Hinata noticed something peculiar; pushing even further, Hinata was horrified when her Byakugan picked up a human chakra signature _inside_ of the snake's gut.

"T-th-there-!" Hinata tried to say, but stopped when she saw the chakra flare and rapidly begin to multiply, causing the snake to swell up like a balloon.

Suddenly, the snake exploded, and an army of human chakra signatures swarmed out of the now dead snake like ants. Hinata was speechless.

Kiba frowned at his teammates silence, "…Well, lets check it out."

"Urgh!" groaned Naruto as he dispelled his shadow clones that he had used to escape the bowels of the snake, "That was a close one."

He wiped snake slime from his face in disgust. That snake definitely wasn't one of Psycho-sensei's summons; none of hers were ever _that_ big… and they _never_ tried to eat him! 'Gotta' find Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme.'

"Naruto?"

Said Genin turned toward the voice that had called to him, surprised to see the dog-boy, Kiba, and his two teammates drop out of the trees in front of him.

Kiba covered his nose in disgust, "Oi, dude, you need a bath." Akamaru whimpered in agreement.

Naruto chuckled humorously as he looked down at himself. He was covered head-to-toe in snake blood and stomach juice, which was really beginning to smell…

"A-are you.. A-alright, N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked meekly.

"Hmm? Oh! Yeah, I fine!" grinned Naruto, trying and failing to wipe snake juice off of his jacket, "There's no way I was going to let a snake make a meal out of me, believe it! Why, I bet Sasuke-teme… Sasuke-teme! Sakura-chan!"

It was then that Naruto remembered how he ended up inside of a snake in the first place. Sasuke had told their team that they needed to come up with a password, incase anyone tried to impersonate them using Henge (Naruto couldn't remember what it was). Then, all of a sudden, a massive wind came out of nowhere and blew him away from the rest of his teammates. It was after that that Naruto had the run-in with the snake.

"I've got to get back to the others!" yelped Naruto, turning on the spot and taking to the trees, "See ya' guys later!"

For a moment, team 10 just stood and watched the orange-wearing Genin bound away. But, then Shino wordlessly started walking in the direction that Naruto had disappeared.

"Hey, what's up, Shino?" asked Kiba.

"…We should make sure that our fellow Konoha rookie makes it safely back to his teammate," replied the stoic Aburame.

"But what if his team tries to take one of our scrolls?" asked Kiba, not moving from his spot.

Shino did not answer, and simply leapt into a nearby tree, Hinata soon following after him. Kiba sighed, and patted Akamaru before following his teammates.

"Anko-san, we have trouble!"

Ume and Anko had just finished off their dango lunch, when one of the many Chunin proctors (Ume believed his name was Mozuku) had appeared before them in a flurry.

"What is it?" asked Anko, not looking too worried at the moment.

"We've discovered bodies outside of the training ground boundaries!" Informed Mozuku desperately.

'Bodies?' Ume felt cold drop into her stomach. 'Who…?'

"There's something strange about," continued the Chunin, "You must come see for yourself."

It no time at all to reach the spot where two other Chunin, Izumo and Kotetsu, were waiting with the three bodies of apparent shinobi. Ume gagged at the sight.

"Easy, Snowflake," said Anko, after seeing her reaction.

All three of the men had had their throats slit, but that wasn't what disturbed Ume the most. All three of them had no faces; it was completely smooth where their faces should have been melted away. Ume shivered; she didn't even want to know how that happened.

"Judging by the belongings and papers we found, they're shinobi from Kusagakure," informed Kotetsu, "All three were registered to take the Chunin Exams."

Anko didn't respond right away, and Ume noticed that she was starring intently at the bodies with a growing face of horror on her face. What-?

"Show me the photos from their I.D.!" Ume jumped at Anko's demanding tone.

Mozuku handed over the I.D. papers without hesitation, and Anko snatched them away to stare at the photographed faces that the bodies should have had. Ume looked over her sensei's shoulder to see pictures of three familiar faces. The young Chunin instantly recognized the oldest male as the creepy Kusa-Genin that had sported a freakishly long tongue. Wait…

"Didn't those three-?"

"You three!" Ume was cut off by Anko as she barked orders to Kotetsu, Izumo, and Mozuku, "Village Security has been breached, report what's happened to Hokage-sama! Ask that he deploy two additional ANBU to the Forest of Death at once! I'm going after the imposters!"

"Wait, Anko-san!" called Mozuku.

Anko ignored him and leapt towards the Forest of Death. Without hesitating, Ume made to follow her.

"Don't you dare move from that spot!" Anko snarled over her shoulder at the white-haired kunoichi.

Ume skid to a halt, startled by her sensei's tone and expression; it was one that Ume had never heard or seen before. Anko wouldn't have reacted this way over a few dead bodies, there was something else going on here, something really bad…

"Ume-chan, we need to get to the Hokage," said Kotetsu.

Before the other three Chunin could react, Ume dashed away. Not in the direction of the Hokage tower, but towards the Forest of Death.

"Ume-san!" called Izumo.

But, like her sensei had, the snowy-haired kunoichi ignored her fellow Chunin and leaped away into the trees of Training Ground Forty-four.

Anko tore through the darkening forest as if the hounds of hell were upon her. Every minute that passed, the Tokubetsu Jonin only became angrier and more desperate in her search. She unconsciously touched the old cursed seal on her neck, that had begun to throb dully.

'Damn! It's already dusk.' Anko growled in her head, 'I have to find him soon, things will only become worse in the dark!'

Anko just didn't understand it; Why, after all these years, did he decide to show up now? What the hell was he up to? Well, whatever it was, it wasn't going to be good, and there was no doubt in Anko's mind that it was _him_. He was the only person she knew that knew that particular technique; the dark art of literally stealing a person's face.

'It doesn't matter what he's up to, because I'm ending this today. Even at the cost of my life!' the purple-haired kunoichi told herself, stopping atop a huge tree branch. 'And if can manage that, I can at least slow him down until the ANBU get here.'

"It's my duty. Isn't it…" Anko turned to face the trunk of the tree, "Orochimaru-_sensei_?"

Keeping her chakra as low as possible, Ume journeyed through the familiar treetops of the Forest of Death. It hadn't been hard for Ume to pick up Anko's trail while racing through the forest. Her sensei hadn't been subtle about covering her tracks while looking for.. whoever it was she was looking for, which just supported the conclusion Ume had come to earlier: something had gone terribly wrong in this exam.

The young kunoichi perked up when she felt her sensei's chakra flare somewhere up ahead. Thanks to Tora-sensei's intense chakra control exercises, Ume could hone in on chakra signatures like a radar, especially with those of people she hung around with the most.

Slowing down, Ume perched on one of the higher branches and peeked through the foliage. The kunoichi immediately spotted two figures facing off on a branch a few yards away. One was defiantly Anko, while the other was a tall male that Ume didn't recognize. Was it the imposter?

Before she could ponder any further, Anko suddenly cried out in pain and dropped to her knees, clutching the side of her neck. What the hell? Without thinking, Ume launched herself from her hiding place, towards the unknown male.

'Suiton: Teppodama!' Still in midair, Ume aimed and released a series of condensed water spheres directly at the unknown shinobi.

The male jumped away before the attack could connect, and Ume landed between him and her kneeling sensei, kunai in hand, "Back off, freak!"

"Well, well, what have we here?" purred the shinobi.

Ume felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up at the sound of his voice, it reminded her almost of a snake. In fact, his very appearance was snake-like; His skin was as pale as a corpse, and his black, oil slick hair reached nearly to his waist. But it was his eyes that scarred Ume the most; yellow with slatted pupils like a cat. It was like looking into the eyes of a predator.

"Damn it, Ume, I told you to stay put!" yelled Anko, still clutching her neck, "Get the hell out of here!"

"Sorry, sensei," apologized Ume, never taking her eyes off of the unknown shinobi, "But I'm not gonna leave you alone with this creep."

"I said get out of here!"

The shinobi hissed a chuckle, "So this is Ume Uzumaki. I must say, Anko-chan, I was quite surprised to find out that you took on a student of your own. I'm curious… does she hold more potential than you did?"

"Don't you dare, Orochimaru!" snarled Anko, struggling to her feet.

'Orochimaru?…. Shit!' Ume swallowed, it was a whole lot worse than she had originally thought.

"Oh, don't worry, Anko-chan. I have no intension of marking her. However…" Orochimaru licked his lips, "I' am curious about the wielder of the Shodai Hokage's Kekkei Genkai."

Ume's eyes widened, and her mouth opened in shock. How did he know? How did he find out?

The snake-ish shinobi chuckled again, "Let's see it in action."

Before either of the kunoichi could react, Orochimaru's long tongue suddenly shot from his mouth and snagged around Ume's wrist that held a kunai. Ume yelped in surprise, and she found herself airborne, as she was thrown from the tree by the slimy appendage.

"Ume!" Anko made to help her student, but fell down again when another wave of pain erupted from her cursed mark.

Still in the air, Ume twisted around only to be slammed in the stomach by the snake-Sannin and sent crashing into a nearby tree. Collapsed on a branch, she desperately coughed for air while spots swam in her vision. Her brain managed to register someone landing nearby.

"Come, come, Ume-chan, are you going to give up so easily?" asked Orochimaru mockingly disappointed voice, "Show me what you can really do."

Finally being able to see strait, Ume grit her teeth and wobbled her teeth. Even if this freak knew about her Kekkei Genkai, she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing it. 'Doton: Teppodoro!'

Trying to gain some space, Ume fired several mud bombs from her mouth at the snake-shinobi. But, he simply leapt into the air to avoid them, and landed only a short distance from where he had originally stood.

"This won't do at all. Perhaps you need a little more motivation," Orochimaru's slatted eyes slid over to were Anko was still crouched in pain.

"Don't you dare-" growled Ume, reading the Sannin's mind. 'Sensei!'

Orochimaru chuckled darkly before leaping towards the Tokubetsu Jonin. Ume shot after him, but there was no way she would reach Anko before the Sannin. The damn snake-bastard was giving Ume no choice…

Through the pain of her curse mark, Anko lifted her head, only to see her former sensei headed strait for her, with Ume right behind him, forming a hand sign. Shit!

But, before Anko could get up to defend herself and before Orochimaru could follow through with his attack, several of the nearby tree branches shot forward to form a barrier around the Tokubetsu Jonin and to swat the Sannin away. Although she was thankful for the save, Anko was still pissed that Ume was even here in the first place. If they lived through this, Anko vowed to smack Ume so hard, her grandchildren would hurt.

Orochimaru chuckled as a branch tried to hit him, but he simply caught it with his feet and used it to propel himself back the way he had came. Bringing out his arm, he close-lined the young kunoichi in the neck who had still been propelling forward.

Ume choked painfully on impact and was sent toppling head-over-heels. She cried out in pain when her back impacted heavily on her back on a branch a few feet below Anko. Stunned, Ume didn't get up. Anko growled in fury at the scene. How dare that bastard touch her student!

"Yesss, that's better," purred Orochimaru, licking his lips again, "My sources are very reliable, but I just had to see it for myself. Although I would love to stay and play longer, I'm afraid I must be going." He turned his attention back to Anko, "Don't get any clever ideas about ending this exam early, I plan to savor it. Three of my protégés are taking part in this exam, and I wish to see how they fare. If something were to happen to spoil my fun, I will grind Konoha into dust."

With that, the snake-Sannin disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the two kunoichi to recover.

'Damn…'

**A/N:** What do you think? Things are finally starting to pick up again. Remember to review and critique (more than 1 or 2 words :S ) they feed my muse and give me motivation to write more. =^.^=

**Japanese/ Jutsu List:**

- **Ame:** Rain

**- Suna: **Sand

**- Henge: **Transformation

**- Suiton: Teppodama:** Water Release: Water Bullet

**- Doton: Teppodoro:** Earth Release: Mud Bullet


End file.
